As a noun, it is a substance used as medicine or taken for its effects on the body or mind, sometimes illegally. As a verb, it means to give someone a drug, especially without their knowledge, to affect their behavior or consciousness.
From Middle French 'drogue', of uncertain origin, possibly from Middle Dutch 'droge (vaten)' meaning 'dry (barrels)' referring to dry goods like herbs and spices. It entered English in the late Middle Ages. The meaning narrowed to medicinal and mind-affecting substances.
The word 'drug' covers everything from life-saving insulin to dangerous street narcotics, which is why context matters so much. Many everyday substances—caffeine, nicotine, alcohol—are drugs too, but we often don’t call them that. Language helps us draw a moral line around some chemicals and not others.
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