codeine

noun

co·​deine ˈkō-ˌdēn 

: a morphine derivative C₁₈H₂₁NO₃·H₂O that is found in opium, is weaker in action than morphine, and is used especially as an analgesic and antitussive

Examples of codeine in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In 2022, President Joe Biden directed the Department of Health and Human Services to conduct a review of how marijuana is classified; and last year HHS recommended it be rescheduled to Schedule III, alongside drugs like Tylenol with codeine and anabolic steroids. —Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY, 30 Apr. 2024

Per the report, which was obtained by PEOPLE, Several drugs were found in his system including fentanyl, alprazolam, codeine, promethazine and THC. —Rachel Desantis, People.com, 1 Oct. 2024

That shouldn’t have been surprising — poppy seeds, like the ones in Horton’s salad, are derived from the opium poppy plant and contain codeine. —Shoshana Walter, USA TODAY, 9 Sep. 2024

Examples are drugs containing less than 90 milligrams of codeine per dosage unit, ketamine, anabolic steroids and testosterone. —Greta Cross, USA TODAY, 5 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French codéine, from Greek kṓdeia "seed capsule of a poppy plant" (probably of pre-Greek substratal origin) + -ine -ine;2

Note: The name was introduced by the French chemist Pierre Jean Robiquet (1780-1840) in "Nouvelles Observations sur les principaux Produits de l'Opium," Annales de chemie et de physique, tome 51 (1832), p. 264.

First Known Use

1833, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

codeine

noun

co·​deine ˈkō-ˌdēn 

ˈkōd-ē-ən

: a drug that is obtained from opium, is weaker than morphine, and is used as a pain reliever and in cough remedies

Medical Definition

codeine

noun

co·​deine ˈkō-ˌdēn, ˈkōd-ē-ən 

: a morphine derivative that is found in opium, is weaker in action than morphine, and is used chiefly in the form of its sulfate (C₁₈H₂₁NO₃)₂·H₂SO₄ or phosphate C₁₈H₂₁NO₃·H₃PO₄ especially as a pain reliever and cough suppressant

Although codeine is potentially addicting, it rarely causes physical dependence when taken orally for a short time.

—Consumer Reports