heroin

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a powerful, highly addictive opioid made from morphine, usually illegal and associated with a high risk of overdose and dependence

   The clinic provides evidence-based treatment for people dependent on heroin.

2. 2
   noun

   British medicine: pharmaceutical diamorphine used under strict medical control for severe pain

   The hospital administered heroin as diamorphine under specialist supervision.

3. 3
   noun

   obsolete: a spelling of heroine, meaning a female hero

   The eighteenth-century text praised its central character as a virtuous heroin.

Appears in

Simplified etymology

Heroin was coined in German in the late 19th century from the Latin word for “hero,” referring to the effect the drug had on users’ self-esteem.

From German Heroin, a late nineteenth-century trademark formed from heroisch, 'heroic,' or Greek heros, 'hero,' + the drug suffix -in. It was marketed as a medicine before its severe dependence and overdose risks were understood. The obsolete heroine spelling has a separate history.

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External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary