Meanings
plural paregorics · alternative paregorick
- countableuncountableA painkiller; a medicine which soothes or relieves pain; specifically the traditional patent medicine consisting of camphorated tincture of opium.
They bought paregoric in the drug store and drank it. They formed a drugged and stupefied line against the side of the drug store building. Studs was so helpless that Red Kelly had to take him home.
1934, James T. Farrell, chapter 16, in The Young Manhood of Studs Lonigan1 more example
My local doctor promises to accompany me ashore, spare no expense to obtain powerful paregorics & remain at my bedside until my recovery is compleat, even if Prophetess must leave for California without us.
2004, David Mitchell, Cloud Atlas, London: Sceptre (Hodder and Stoughton), →ISBN
comparative more paregoric · superlative most paregoric · alternative paregorick
- Assuaging or soothing pain.
paregoric elixir
Synonyms & antonyms
nounmedicine used to treat diarrhea
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Ancient Greekπαρηγορικός“soothing”
- Englishparegoric
Borrowed from Ancient Greek παρηγορικός (parēgorikós, “soothing”), from παρηγορέω (parēgoréō, “to console, comfort”).
More words from Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
paregoric. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/paregoric
“paregoric.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/paregoric. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “paregoric,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/paregoric.
Source: paregoric on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.