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paregoric

paregoric

1 9.9
A liquid medicine with opium once used for diarrhea and coughs
  • noun
  • /ˌpærəˈɡɔrɪk/
  • Archaic
translation icon : paregórico
  • He never got so sick I couldn't fix him up with a salt, a paregoric or tonic or something.
  • gave paregoric

Examples

  • "When the girls got sick, the doctor came and gave Mother paregoric for the colic."

    Fiction book (1994)
  • Paregoric is also a derivative of opium.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • I know someone who shot paregoric and shoe polish.

  • Get the Paregoric Kid giving that mark the buildup!

    Fiction book (1996)
  • And all I can do is prescribe paregoric.

  • Paregoric was used a lot in those days for easing pain.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • Searching through her house for some necessary article, my father opened a closet door, and hundreds of small, empty paregoric bottles fell out on the floor.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • Paregoric?

  • He visited once a week, going from room to room, checking out the widows, using his stethoscope on old farmers' chests, prescribing milk of magnesia, paregoric, and aspirin.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • The doctor recommended a small dose of paregoric to help with the child's relentless cough.

Synonyms

camphorated tincture of opium
vsparegoric
  • Archaic
9.9

A liquid medicine made from opium and camphor that treats diarrhea and eases pain

contains opium but not camphor and treats diarrhea and coughs historically

Surface Forms

paregoric singular
paregorics plural

Etymology

Paregoric comes from the Greek word paregorikos, which means 'soothing' or 'comforting'. So it was the name for a liquid medicine used to calm stomach problems and coughs, and that is why today it refers to an opium-containing remedy for diarrhea and coughs.