heroin

Since the 1890s, from German Heroin, originally a trademark, from Ancient Greek ἥρως (hḗrōs, “hero”) and the suffix -in (“-ine”). Said to have been called thus to evoke quick and sweeping effect as a painkiller and cough suppressant (its original uses). Alternatively explained as a reference to the heroic school of medicine.[1]

• IPA^(key): /ˈhɛɹoʊ.ɪn/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Homophone: heroine
• Rhymes: -ɪn

heroin (countable and uncountable, plural heroins)

1. A powerful and addictive drug derived from opium producing intense euphoria. Classed as an illegal narcotic in most of the world. [from late 19th century]

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:heroin

   • 1967, Lou Reed (music), “Heroin”, in The Velvet Underground & Nico, performed by The Velvet Underground:

     Wow, that heroin is in my blood / And the blood is in my head / Yeah, thank God that I'm good as dead / Ooohhh, thank your God that I'm not aware / And thank God that I just don't care / And I guess I just don't know

   • 1972, Manny Rosen (lyrics), “King Heroin”, in There It Is, performed by James Brown:

     I saw a real strange, weird object / Standing up talking to the people / And I found out it was heroin / That deadly drug that go in your veins

   • 2009: Stuart Heritage, Hecklerspray, Friday the 22^nd of May in 2009 at 1 o’clock p.m., “Jon & Kate Latest: People You Don’t Know Do Crap You Don’t Care About”

     The reason why Jon & Kate Plus 8 is such a hot topic is because it might all be a sham. It’s been claimed that Jon has a string of mistresses, that Kate had an affair with her bodyguard and that Baby Number Six is actually a shaved Ewok with a catastrophic heroin addiction. Or something.

   • 2016, Tim Carvell; Josh Gondelman; Dan Gurewitch; Jeff Maurer; Ben Silva; Will Tracy; Jill Twiss; Seena Vali; Julie Weiner, “Opiods”, in Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, season 3, episode 27, HBO, Warner Bros. Television:

     Yeah, it does, though, it does. Heroin works basically everywhere because it’s heroin. It’s not a cellphone. Heroin has full coverage.

   • 2017, Tim Carvell; Josh Gondelman; Dan Gurewitch; Jeff Maurer; Ben Silva; Will Tracy; Jill Twiss; Seena Vali; Julie Weiner, “Confederacy”, in Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, season 4, episode 26, HBO, Warner Bros. Television:

     Okay, wel-, I’ll tell you where it stops: somewhere! Anytime someone asks, “Where does it stop?”, the answer is always fucking somewhere! You might let your kid have Twizzlers, but not inject black tar heroin! You d-You don’t just go, “Well, after the Twizzlers, where does it stop?”!

• (chemical names): diacetylmorphine, diamorphine
• (street names): Big H, boy, brown, bujj, dope, junk, H, horse, Ron, shit, skag, smack, train, yam yam

• heroin on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

• Horine, hieron, on hire

heroin m inan

1. heroin

   Synonym: herák

This noun needs an inflection-table template.

• heroin in Kartotéka Novočeského lexikálního archivu
• heroin in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého, 1960–1971, 1989

• Rhymes: -in

heroin c or n (singular definite heroinen or heroinet, uncountable)

1. heroin

• Rhymes: -eroin

heroin

1. instructive plural of hera

• hieron

heroin

1. Rōmaji transcription of ヘロイン

• IPA^(key): /xerǒiːn/
• Hyphenation: he‧ro‧in

heròīn m (Cyrillic spelling херо̀ӣн)

1. heroin

Borrowed from German Heroin. Attested since 1898.

heroin n

1. heroin

• horse
• häst
• jonk

• heroin in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• heroin in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• heroin in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)