Definition

A medicinal liquid that contains opium and is used to relieve pain and treat diarrhea.

Example

The doctor prescribed paregoric to help manage her severe abdominal cramps.

Conversation

I’ve been having a really bad stomach ache lately.

That sounds awful! Have you tried anything to help it?

Yeah, I was thinking about taking some paregoric to relieve the pain.

That might work! My grandma always swore by it for her stomach issues.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Paregoric is formed from "para-" (meaning alongside or similar) and "agoricos" (from Greek "agorá", meaning marketplace or assembly). The term originally referred to a remedy that alleviates pain, akin to how one might find relief in a marketplace of remedies.

Memory Tip

Think of 'para-' meaning alongside, suggesting that paregoric is a remedy that works alongside your pain to provide relief.

Visually Confused Words