cocaine

[koh-keyn, koh-keyn] /koʊˈkeɪn, ˈkoʊ keɪn/
noun, Pharmacology
1.
a bitter, crystalline alkaloid, C 17 H 21 NO 4 , obtained from coca leaves, used as a local anesthetic and also widely used as an illicit drug for its stimulant and euphorigenic properties.
Origin
1870-75; coca + -ine1
Examples from the web for cocaine
  • He rarely sleeps and, rather than cocaine, seems to have an addiction to sugar.
  • They are traditionally chewed with lime to increase the release of cocaine from the leaf.
  • Since overcoming his cocaine addiction, he has become a tv host in argentina.
  • Soon after retiring, duper was charged with conspiracy and intent to distribute cocaine.
  • By this stage the director had also developed a serious cocaine addiction.
  • The cause of death was a speedball, an injection of cocaine and heroin.
  • The decriminalization of drugs such as heroin, cocaine and marijuana.
  • Adulterated cocaine is often a white, offwhite or pinkish powder.
  • Freebase cocaine is produced by first dissolving cocaine hydrochloride in water.
  • Ingesting coca leaves generally is an inefficient means of administering cocaine.
British Dictionary definitions for cocaine

cocaine

/kəˈkeɪn/
noun
1.
an addictive narcotic drug derived from coca leaves or synthesized, used medicinally as a topical anaesthetic. Formula: C17H21NO4
Word Origin
C19: from coca + -ine1
Word Origin and History for cocaine
n.

1874, from Modern Latin cocaine (1856), coined by Albert Niemann of Gottingen University from coca (from Quechua cuca) + chemical suffix -ine (2). A medical coinage, the drug was used 1870s as a local anaesthetic for eye surgery, etc. "It is interesting to note that although cocaine is pronounced as a disyllabic word it is trisyllabic in its formation." [Flood]

cocaine in Medicine

cocaine co·caine (kō-kān', kō'kān')
n.
A colorless or white crystalline alkaloid extracted from coca leaves, sometimes used as a local anesthetic especially for the eyes, nose, or throat and widely used as an illicit drug for its euphoric and stimulating effects.

cocaine in Science
cocaine
  (kō-kān')   
A colorless or white crystalline alkaloid extracted from coca leaves. Cocaine is sometimes used in medicine as a local anesthetic, especially for the eyes, nose, or throat. It is also widely used as an illicit drug for its euphoric and stimulating effects. Chemical formula: C17H21NO4.
cocaine in Culture

cocaine definition


A drug derived from the leaves of a shrub in South America that has an intoxicating effect on the body and can result in dependency if frequently used. Cocaine is used medically as a local anesthetic.

Note: Cocaine use constitutes a major drug problem in the United States.