Emily Dickinson Lexicon
Definition for O'PI-ATE
O'PI-ATE, n. [from opium.]
- Primarily, a medicine of a thicker consistence than sirup, prepared with opium. Encyc. A soft electuary. Electuaries when soft are called opiata. Parr. But in modern usage generally,
- Any medicine that contains opium and has the quality of inducing sleep or repose; a narcotic. Encyc.
- That which induces rest or inaction; that which quiets uneasiness. They chose atheism as an opiate. Bentley.
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