paregoric · adj — assuaging or soothing pain. It carries an Arena rating of 1800, earned across 39 head-to-head judged battles.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, paregoric ranks #1,762 of 17,165 for Most Satisfying to Say, #2,358 of 17,151 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound, #2,634 of 17,163 for Most Beautiful Words, #2,723 of 17,180 for Most Ingenious Words.
paregoric is pronounced /pæɹɪˈɡɒɹɪk/.
Why “paregoric” is a great word
A medicine that soothes pain, specifically a camphorated tincture of opium. From the Ancient Greek παρηγορικός (parēgorikós, "soothing"), from παρηγορέω (parēgoréō, "to console, comfort"). First attested in English as an adjective in the 1680s. Unlike an "anodyne," a general term for any pain-reliever, or "analgesic," its precise clinical descendant, "paregoric" names a specific, archaic preparation. It is the dark, licorice-tinged spoonful administered in a gaslit nursery; the heavy brown glass bottle in the physician's bag; the profound quiet that descends after its administration—a consolation that carries the faint, medicinal warmth of oblivion.
❧ Essay by Lexicurio’s AI · definition, etymology & citations from published sources
Etymology
Borrowed from Ancient Greek παρηγορικός (parēgorikós, “soothing”), from παρηγορέω (parēgoréō, “to console, comfort”).
adj
- Assuaging or soothing pain.e.g.“paregoric elixir”
noun
- A painkiller; a medicine which soothes or relieves pain; specifically the traditional patent medicine consisting of camphorated tincture of opium.e.g.“They bought paregoric in the drug store and drank it. They formed a drugged and stupefied line against the side of the drug store building. Studs was so helpless that Red Kelly had to take him home.” — 1934, James T. Farrell, chapter 16, in The Young Manhood of Studs Lonigan:
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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