codeine

IPA/ˈkəʊdiːn/
IPA/ˈkəʊdiːn/

codeine — noun

1. a mild pain-killing drug made from the opium poppy, often added to cough medicin

1.nounC1
Definition

a mild pain-killing drug made from the opium poppy, often added to cough medicine and used to dull moderate pain.

Example

The dentist prescribed codeine for Beatrix after she had her wisdom tooth removed.

collocation: prescribe codeine for [person/condition]

Many over-the-counter cough syrups in the United States no longer contain codeine.

collocation: contain codeine (in a product)

Common collocations
  • prescribe codeine
  • take codeine
  • contain codeine
  • codeine tablet
  • codeine syrup
  • low-dose codeine
Synonyms
  • opioid painkiller

    broader category — codeine is one type of opioid painkiller, weaker than morphine

  • analgesic

    general medical term for any pain-reliever, not specific to opioids

Grammar Patterns

codeine for [condition]

prescribed codeine

codeine in [product]

Usage Note

Uncountable; never pluralised (no '*codeines'). Often appears with measure words in English: 'a dose of codeine', 'tablets of codeine', 'codeine syrup'.

Common Mistakes

The nurse gave me two codeines.
The nurse gave me two codeine tablets.
codeine is uncountable; count the tablets, not the drug.
I drank a codeine before bed.
I took some codeine syrup before bed.
you take codeine, you don't drink it as a unit.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Codeine, morphine, paracetamol, and ibuprofen are all common pain-relievers but differ sharply in strength and risk. Codeine is a mild opioid, made from the opium poppy, used for moderate pain and short-term cough relief; doctors usually prescribe it for a few days only because long use can lead to dependence. Morphine is a much stronger opioid from the same plant, kept for severe pain in hospitals or end-of-life care. Paracetamol (called acetaminophen in the United States) and ibuprofen are non-opioid drugs sold without a prescription; they handle mild headaches, fever, and small injuries. A pharmacist might offer paracetamol for a sore throat, codeine for a bad cough, and morphine after major surgery.

codeine ↗morphine ↗paracetamol ↗ibuprofen ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • codeine tablet
  • codeine syrup
  • codeine dose
  • codeine prescription

Phrases

  • low-dose codeine
  • habit-forming codeine

Prepositions

  • codeine for [condition]
  • codeine in [product]

Etymology

GreekFrenchEnglish

From the Greek 'kōdeia' meaning 'poppy-head', because codeine is one of the natural compounds found inside the poppy plant. French chemist Pierre Robiquet isolated the substance in 1832 and gave it the name 'codéine', which English borrowed soon after.