核心畫面

One way to hold this word: a medicine made from the poppy, strong enough to push very bad pain out of reach. It does not repair the injury. It changes how much of it reaches you, and it makes you sleepy while it works. Every other use of the word can be read off that one effect.

可以想成一種從罌粟做出來的藥。它強到能把很嚴重的痛推到感覺不到的地方。但它並沒有把傷治好。傷還在,只是你感覺不到了,更多收起可以想成一種從罌粟做出來的藥。它強到能把很嚴重的痛推到感覺不到的地方。但它並沒有把傷治好。傷還在,只是你感覺不到了,而且人會變得昏昏欲睡。這個「把感覺蓋住、問題留著」的效果,正好是這個字所有用法的共同底。看懂這個畫面,藥的用法和罵人的比喻就會連成一條線。

From the word’s history

Wiktionary traces opiate to Middle English opiate and Medieval Latin opiatus, the same family as opium.

根據 Wiktionary,opiate 來自中古英文 opiate,再往前是中世紀拉丁文 opiātus,和 opium(鴉片)同一家族。所以字的核心從一開始就綁在鴉片這個材料上。

Wiktionary entries for opiate (packet evidence kaikki:3f6f69a190036ae4:771071125 / :771082976): From Middle English opiate, from Medieval Latin opiātus.

Two branches

鴉片做的藥

這一支就是核心畫面本身:從鴉片來的藥,以及用它來修飾名詞的形容詞。

noun · C1

A drug that is made from opium or contains it. Doctors use opiates to control very bad pain and to help people sleep.

鴉片類藥物

麻痺感覺的東西(比喻)

把藥的效果搬到生活上:不是治好問題,而是讓人感覺不到問題,於是也不再想改變。

noun · C1

Something that keeps people comfortable and calm so that they stop thinking about the problems in their lives and stop trying to make things better. The writer who uses this word is saying that this is a bad thing.

麻醉劑(比喻)