placebo
[ pluh-see-boh for 1; plah-chey-boh for 2 ]
/ pləˈsi boʊ for 1; plɑˈtʃeɪ boʊ for 2 /
noun, plural pla·ce·bos, pla·ce·boes.
Medicine/Medical, Pharmacology.
- a substance having no pharmacological effect but given merely to satisfy a patient who supposes it to be a medicine.
- a substance having no pharmacological effect but administered as a control in testing experimentally or clinically the efficacy of a biologically active preparation.
Roman Catholic Church.
the vespers of the office for the dead: so called from the initial word of the first antiphon, taken from Psalm 114:9 of the Vulgate.
Origin of placebo
1175–1225
for def 2; 1775–85
for def 1; Middle English < Latin
placēbō I shall be pleasing, acceptable
Words nearby placebo
Example sentences from the Web for placebo
British Dictionary definitions for placebo
placebo
/ (pləˈsiːbəʊ) /
noun plural -bos or -boes
med
an inactive substance or other sham form of therapy administered to a patient usually to compare its effects with those of a real drug or treatment, but sometimes for the psychological benefit to the patient through his believing he is receiving treatment
See also control group, placebo effect
something said or done to please or humour another
RC Church
a traditional name for the vespers of the office for the dead
Word Origin for placebo
C13 (in the ecclesiastical sense): from Latin
Placebo Domino I shall please the Lord (from the opening of the office for the dead); C19 (in the medical sense)
Medical definitions for placebo
placebo
[ plə-sē′bō ]
n. pl. pla•ce•bos
A substance containing no medication and prescribed or given to reinforce a patient's expectation to get well.
An inactive substance or preparation used as a control in an experiment or test to determine the effectiveness of a medicinal drug.
Scientific definitions for placebo
placebo
[ plə-sē′bō ]
A substance containing no medication and prescribed to reinforce a patient's expectation of getting well or used as a control in a clinical research trial to determine the effectiveness of a potential new drug.
Cultural definitions for placebo
placebo
[ (pluh-see-boh) ]
A substance containing no active drug, administered to a patient participating in a medical experiment as a control.
notes for placebo
Those receiving a placebo often get better, a phenomenon known as the
placebo effect.