smart pilln.
/ˈsmɑːt ˌpɪl/, U.S. /ˈsmɑrt ˌpɪl/ Chiefly Medicine.
1. A (hypothetical or real) drug that increases or preserves cognitive ability or memory. Also figurative.
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the world > health and disease > healing > medicines or physic > medicines for specific purpose > medicine for mental conditions > [noun] > drug to help memory
anamnestic1706
smart pill1954
memory drug1965
nootropic1976
1954 San Mateo (Calif.) Times 24 July 12/5 Some one of these days Don Levinson is going to get hold of a handful of smart pills and forget about road racing.
1968 T. Leary Politics of Ecstasy v. 100 The meaning and use of psychedelic chemicals—LSD, STP, MDA, PCP, smart pills, RNA—depends on the scientist's taking the molecules himself.
1978 Globe & Mail (Canada) (Nexis) 3 Oct. It's an emotional drain. I'm going to have to start taking my smart pills again.
1987 J. Franklin Molecules of Mind (1988) ii. 38 This revolutionary science holds a promise even..more useful than smart pills, memory enhancers, or love potions.
2003 BusinessWeek 1 Sept. 62/1 Given its unpleasant side effects, it's unlikely Aricept would ever become a popular ‘smart pill’.
2011 Irish Times (Nexis) 6 Jan. 12 As technology advances..will we become creatures of the mind with smart pills to enhance our cognitive abilities?
2. A tiny capsule-like device incorporating a miniaturized camera, sensor, pump, or other mechanism, often with a microchip, which can be inserted into the body for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes.
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the world > health and disease > healing > medical appliances or equipment > other medical equipment > [noun] > other miscellaneous equipment
wresting thread1616
tractors1798
tetanomotor1860
examining table1877
wire instrumenta1884
wristband1884
nasal spray1888
mackintosh sheet1889
gas mask1892
bath-bed1894
inspissator1897
Murphy's button1899
trembling-chair1899
solenoid1901
sunray1921
oxygenator1928
white cane1930
white stick1930
microdrive1955
photocoagulator1965
bubble1966
stimoceiver1967
hospital gown1970
smart pill1988
1988 New Scientist 1 Sept. 44/1 So-called ‘smart pills’ containing microscopic pumps could release controlled amounts of drugs.
1989 Daily Tel. 23 Jan. 9/4 Studies have shown a feasibility of packing such micro-components into capsule-like devices—‘smart pills’ that could be injected into a patient's bloodstream.
2008 Mac Life Feb. 17/1 Your Mac will call your mobile phone, which will relay the instructions to the smart pill happily traversing your gut.
2011 M. Kaku Physics of Future (2012) iv. 209 Smart pills have been built that contain TV cameras to photograph your insides as they go down your stomach.
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, March 2013; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1954