A placebo is a substance with no effects that a doctor gives to a patient instead of a drug. Placebos are used when testing new drugs or sometimes when a patient has imagined their illness.
placebo in British English
(pləˈsiːbəʊ)
nounWord forms: plural-bos or -boes
1. medicine
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 to provide psychological benefit to patients by allowing them to believe they are receiving treatment
See also control group, placebo effect
2.
something said or done to please or humour another
3. Roman Catholic Church
a traditional name for the vespers of the office for the dead
Word origin
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 themedical sense)
placebo in American English
(pləˈsiboʊ)
nounWord forms: pluralplaˈcebos or plaˈceboes
1. Roman CatholicChurch
the first antiphon of the vespers for the dead, beginning with the word placebo
2.
a harmless, unmedicated preparation given as a medicine merely to humor a patient, or used as a control in testing the efficacy of another, medicated substance
3.
something said or done to win the favor of another
Word origin
ME < L, I shall please
placebo in the Pharmaceutical Industry
(pləsiboʊ)
Word forms: (regular plural) placebos
noun
(Pharmaceutical: Drugs)
A placebo is a substance with no chemical effects given to a patient instead of a drug. A placebo is usually used to compare its effects with those of a real drug, but sometimes itis given for a patient's psychological benefit.
In drug trials, half the patients receive the medication and half receive a placebo.
The condition of patients who received the drug was compared with those who receiveda placebo containing no active ingredients.
A placebo is a substance with no chemical effects given to a patient instead of a drug.
Examples of 'placebo' in a sentence
placebo
In some sense you can be perfectly healthy without bothering with the potion; the placebo only made you aware of it.
Luke Rhinehart THE BOOK OF THE DIE (2000)
In other languages
placebo
British English: placebo NOUN
A placebo is a substance with no chemical effects that a doctor gives to a patient instead of a drug. Placebos are used when testing new drugs.