Codeine is a drug which is used to relieve pain, especially headaches, and the symptoms of a cold.
codeine in British English
(ˈkəʊdiːn)
noun
a white crystalline alkaloid prepared mainly from morphine and having a similar but milder action. It is used as an analgesic, an antidiarrhoeal, and to relieve coughing. Formula: C18H21NO3
Word origin
C19: from Greek kōdeia head of a poppy, from kōos hollow place + -ine2
codeine in American English
(ˈkoʊˌdin)
noun
a narcotic alkaloid, C18H21NO3·H2O, derived from opium and resembling morphine, but less habit-forming: used in cough medicines and to relieve pain