narcotic

Term: narcotic

Origin:  An Greek νάρκωσις/narcosis(=the process of numbing)

Coined : by Galen(AD 129 – 199/217) to refer to agents that benumb or deaden

Definition:

The term narcotic originally referred medically to any psychoactive compound with sleep-inducing properties. Nowadays as narcotic is considered any drug that causes insensibility or stupor.