Dictionary

placebo en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (England) audio
• /pləˈsiː.bəʉ/ (Australia)
• /pləˈsi.boʊ/ (Canada, General-American)
• /pləˈsiː.bɐʉ/ (New-Zealand)
• /pləˈsiː.bəʊ/ (Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English placebo, borrowed from Latin placēbō (“I will please”), the first-person singular future active indicative of placeō (“to please”).

Meanings

1. A dummy medicine containing no active ingredients; an inert treatment.
   • The acid test, I thought, was whether homeopathic remedies behave differently from placebos when submitted to clinical trials. 2010 February 22, Edzard Ernst, “No to homeopathy placebo”, in The Guardian:
   • The trials overall showed some but limited effectiveness, and in one of the largest and longest trials, the placebo performed better in treating spasticity, pain and bladder dysfunction, Dr. Bowling wrote. 2021 March 8, Jane E. Brody, “Medical Marijuana Is Not Regulated as Most Medicines Are”, in The New York Times:
2. The vespers sung in the office for the dead.
   • There the placebo, the office for the dead, was sung, and a vigil kept throughout the night. 2011, Thomas Penn, Winter King, Penguin, published 2012, page 349:

Forms

Deriveds

placebolike · placebology · placebo-controlled · placebo effect · antiplacebo · placebo button · nonplacebo · placebogenic · placebome · placebic

Descendants

プラセボ

Relateds

nocebo · drug

Translations (33)

fi lumelääke (a dummy medicine containing no active ingredients; an inert treatment) · mk плацебо (a dummy medicine containing no active ingredients; an inert treatment) · ca placebo (a dummy medicine containing no active ingredients; an inert treatment) · no placebo (a dummy medicine containing no active ingredients; an inert treatment) · cmn 安慰劑 /安慰剂 (a dummy medicine containing no active ingredients; an inert treatment) · th ยาหลอก (a dummy medicine containing no active ingredients; an inert treatment) · fi plasebo (a dummy medicine containing no active ingredients; an inert treatment) · ja プラセボ (a dummy medicine containing no active ingredients; an inert treatment) · cs placebo (a dummy medicine containing no active ingredients; an inert treatment) · pt placebo (a dummy medicine containing no active ingredients; an inert treatment) · el πλασέμπο (a dummy medicine containing no active ingredients; an inert treatment) · ga placebo (a dummy medicine containing no active ingredients; an inert treatment) · gl placebo (a dummy medicine containing no active ingredients; an inert treatment) · de Placebo (a dummy medicine containing no active ingredients; an inert treatment) · he פְּלָצֶבּוֹ (a dummy medicine containing no active ingredients; an inert treatment) · bg плацебо (a dummy medicine containing no active ingredients; an inert treatment) · uk плацебо́ (a dummy medicine containing no active ingredients; an inert treatment) · de Plazebo (a dummy medicine containing no active ingredients; an inert treatment) · sv placebo (a dummy medicine containing no active ingredients; an inert treatment) · fr placebo (a dummy medicine containing no active ingredients; an inert treatment) · ja 偽薬 (a dummy medicine containing no active ingredients; an inert treatment) · ta மருந்துப்போலி (a dummy medicine containing no active ingredients; an inert treatment) · myv чавоменге (a dummy medicine containing no active ingredients; an inert treatment) · es placebo (a dummy medicine containing no active ingredients; an inert treatment) · da placebo (a dummy medicine containing no active ingredients; an inert treatment) · is þóknunarhrifslyf (a dummy medicine containing no active ingredients; an inert treatment) · nl placebo (a dummy medicine containing no active ingredients; an inert treatment) · ru плаце́бо (a dummy medicine containing no active ingredients; an inert treatment) · is lyfleysa (a dummy medicine containing no active ingredients; an inert treatment) · hi कूटभेषज (a dummy medicine containing no active ingredients; an inert treatment) · eo placebo (a dummy medicine containing no active ingredients; an inert treatment) · it placebo (a dummy medicine containing no active ingredients; an inert treatment) · pl placebo (a dummy medicine containing no active ingredients; an inert treatment)