an alkaloid extracted from opium: used in medicine as an analgesic and sedative, although repeated use causes addiction. Formula: C17H19NO3
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025
mor•phine /ˈmɔrfin/USA pronunciation also mor•phi•a /ˈmɔrfiə/USA pronunciation
n. [uncountable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025- Drugsa drug made from opium and used chiefly in medicine as a pain reliever.
mor•phine
(môr′fēn),USA pronunciation n. [Pharm.]
mor•phin•ic
(môr fin′ik),USA pronunciation adj.
- Drugsa white, bitter, crystalline alkaloid, C17H19NO3·H2O, the most important narcotic and addictive principle of opium, obtained by extraction and crystallization and used chiefly in medicine as a pain reliever and sedative.
- German Morphin. See Morpheus, -ine2
- 1820–30;
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
'morphine' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
Brompton mixture
- action
- alkaloid
- apomorphine
- codeine
- cyclazocine
- diacetylmorphine
- diamorphine
- dihydromorphinone
- effect
- endorphin
- enkephalin
- etorphine
- hard
- heroin
- methadone
- nalorphine
- naltrexone
- narcotic
- opiate
- opioid
- opium
- oxymorphone
- papaverine
- paramorphine
- pusher
- twilight sleep