placebo

pla·ce·bo  (pl-sb)

n. pl. pla·ce·bos or pla·ce·boes

1.

a. A substance containing no medication and prescribed or given to reinforce a patient's expectation to get well.

b. An inactive substance or preparation used as a control in an experiment or test to determine the effectiveness of a medicinal drug.

2. Something of no intrinsic remedial value that is used to appease or reassure another.

3. (plä-chb) Roman Catholic Church The service or office of vespers for the dead.

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[Middle English, from Late Latin placb, I shall please (the first word of the first antiphon of the service), first person sing. future tense of Latin placre, to please; see plk-¹ in Indo-European roots.]

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placebo [plas-see-bo]

Noun

pl -bos or -boes Med an inactive substance given to a patient usually to compare its effects with those of a real drug but sometimes for the psychological benefit gained by the patient through believing that he or she is receiving treatment [Latin: I shall please]

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placebo  (pl-sb)

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.

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	placebo - an innocuous or inert medication; given as a pacifier or to the control group in experiments on the efficacy of a drug active placebo - a placebo used in experimental tests of a drug that has noticeable side effects; "an active placebo mimics the side effects of the experimental drug" medicament, medication, medicinal drug, medicine - (medicine) something that treats or prevents or alleviates the symptoms of disease
	2.	placebo - (Roman Catholic Church) vespers of the office for the dead vesper - a late afternoon or evening worship service Church of Rome, Roman Catholic Church, Roman Church, Western Church, Roman Catholic - the Christian Church based in the Vatican and presided over by a pope and an episcopal hierarchy

Translations

placebo [pləˈsiːbəu] n → placebo

placebo [pləˈsiːbəu] n → placebo m

placebo [pləˈsiːbəu] n → Placebo nt (fig); Beruhigungsmittel nt

placebo [pləˈsiːbəu] n → placebo m inv