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Definition of placebo - 8 dictionary results
pla⋅ce⋅bo
[pluh-see-boh for 1; plah-chey-boh for 2]
–noun, plural -bos, -boes.
| 1. | Medicine/Medical, Pharmacology.
|
| 2. | Roman Catholic Church. the vespers of the office for the dead: so called from the initial word of the first antiphon, taken from Psalm 114:9 of the Vulgate. |
Origin:
1175–1225 for def. 2; 1775–85 for def. 1; ME < L placēbō I shall be pleasing, acceptable
1175–1225 for def. 2; 1775–85 for def. 1; ME < L placēbō I shall be pleasing, acceptable

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Link To placebo
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Placebo
Pla*ce"bo\, n. [L., I shall please, fut. of placere to please.]1. (R. C. Ch.) The first antiphon of the vespers for the dead. 2. (Med.) A prescription intended to humor or satisfy. To sing placebo, to agree with one in his opinion; to be complaisant to. --Chaucer.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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placebo [(pluh-see-boh)]
A substance containing no active drug, administered to a patient participating in a medical experiment as a control.
Note: Those receiving a placebo often get better, a phenomenon known as the placebo effect.
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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placebo
c.1225, name given to the rite of Vespers of the Office of the Dead, so called from the opening of the first antiphon, "I will please the Lord in the land of the living" (Psalm cxiv:9), from L. placebo "I shall please," future indic. of placere "to please" (see please). Medical sense is first recorded 1785, "a medicine given more to please than to benefit the patient."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Main Entry: pla·ce·bo
Pronunciation: pl&-'sE-(")bO
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -bos
1 : a medicationprescribed more for the mental relief of the patient than for its actual effect on a disorder
2 : an inert or innocuous substance used especially in controlled experiments testingthe efficacy of another substance (as a drug)
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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placebo pla·ce·bo (plə-sē'bō)
n. pl. pla·ce·bos or pla·ce·boes
- A substance containing no medication and prescribed or given to reinforce a patient's expectation to get well.
- An inactive substance or preparation used as a control in an experiment or test to determine the effectiveness of a medicinal drug.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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| placebo (plə-sē'bō) Pronunciation Key
A substance containing no medication and prescribed to reinforce a patient's expectation of getting well or used as a control in a clinical research trial to determine the effectiveness of a potential new drug. |
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2009, Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.

