Painkillers

/ˈpeɪnkɪlərz/ noun

Definition

Medicines or drugs that reduce or stop pain in your body.

Etymology

'Painkiller' is a 20th-century compound word combining 'pain' (from Old English) and 'killer' (something that stops or eliminates). It became common medical terminology in the mid-1900s.

Kelly Says

Painkillers revolutionized medicine, but the opioid crisis shows how the same chemical compounds that can help millions can also become devastating when misused—it's one of modern medicine's most complex ethical issues!

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