A highly addictive drug made from morphine that affects the brain and causes both pleasure and serious health problems.
Coined in 1898 by the German pharmaceutical company Bayer from the word 'heroisch' (heroic in German), because the drug was thought to make users feel heroic and energetic. It was originally marketed as a cough medicine and painkiller before its dangerous addiction potential became clear.
Bayer literally named this drug 'heroin' because they thought it would make people feel like heroes—it's a wild marketing miscalculation where a company accidentally named one of the world's most destructive drugs after a positive human quality. The irony is tragic.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.