Word of the Day

: December 11, 2007

soporific

adjective sah-puh-RIFF-ik

What It Means

1 a : causing or tending to cause sleep

b : tending to dull awareness or alertness

2 : of, relating to, or marked by sleepiness or lethargy

soporific in Context

After dinner, Owen sank onto the couch by the fireplace and -- succumbing to the soporific effect of his full belly and the comfortable surroundings -- quickly fell asleep.

Did You Know?

"It is said that the effect of eating too much lettuce is 'soporific.' I have never felt sleepy after eating lettuces; but then I am not a rabbit." In The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies by Beatrix Potter, the children of Benjamin Bunny were very nearly done in by Mr. McGregor because they ate soporific lettuces that put them into a deep sleep. Their near fate can help you recall the history of "soporific." That term traces to the Latin noun "sopor," which means "deep sleep." (That root is related to "somnus," the Latin word for sleep and the name of the Roman god of sleep.) French speakers used "sopor" as the basis of "soporifique," which was probably the model for the English "soporific."

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.