opium: Meaning and Definition of

o•pi•um

1. the dried, condensed juice of a poppy, Papaver somniferum, that has a narcotic, soporific, analgesic, and astringent effect and contains morphine, codeine, papaverine, and other alkaloids used in medicine in their isolated or derived forms: a narcotic substance, poisonous in large doses.
2. anything that causes dullness or inaction or that soothes the mind or emotions.