sedative

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a drug that calms a person or reduces nervous system activity, sometimes causing sleep

   The doctor prescribed a mild sedative before the procedure.

2. 2
   adj

   having a calming or sleep-inducing effect

   The medicine's sedative effect made driving unsafe.

Common collocations

• sedative drug Adjective + noun

From Middle English and Anglo-Norman sedatif, ultimately from Medieval Latin sedativus, based on Latin sedare, 'to calm or settle.' The medical noun developed from the adjective describing a calming effect.

Topics

External links

• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary
• Google Images