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opium poppy
noun
: an annual Eurasian poppy (Papaver somniferum) cultivated since antiquity as the source of opium, for its edible oily seeds, or for its showy flowers
Examples of opium poppy in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Their soil is cold and bitter, terrible for vegetables but ideal for heroin’s raw ingredient: Papaver somniferum, the opium poppy.
—Patrick Winn, Rolling Stone, 13 Apr. 2024
After the mid-18th century, when the British East India Co. was importing tea from China, few could have guessed that the industry would be revolutionized by a different plant: the opium poppy.
—Arun A.k., Los Angeles Times, 12 Feb. 2024
If all existing poppy farmers were given licenses, what would prevent other poor farmers from switching to opium poppy cultivation?
—Vanda Felbab-Brown, Foreign Affairs, 27 Sep. 2018
The Taliban’s ban has led to a 95% drop in the cultivation of opium poppies, UNODC said last month.
—Grant Peck, The Christian Science Monitor, 13 Dec. 2023
Many of them immigrated to the United States; others stayed behind and replaced corn with opium poppies, for producing heroin.
—Dan Kaufman, The New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2023
For decades, intelligence agencies have been able to monitor acres of foreign coca farms and opium poppy fields from the air before crops were turned into cocaine and heroin.
—oregonlive, 4 Sep. 2023
Then in 2010, a Canadian team identified the last two missing pieces of the morphine puzzle in the genome of opium poppy.
—Luc Henry, Discover Magazine, 9 Sep. 2014
Their ranks include peasants cultivating opium poppies, pistoleros guarding methamphetamine and fentanyl labs, and capos running global contraband networks.
—Patrick J. McDonnell, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'opium poppy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1849, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near opium poppy
Cite this Entry
“Opium poppy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/opium%20poppy. Accessed 10 Jun. 2024.
Kids Definition
opium poppy
noun
: an annual Eurasian poppy grown for opium, for its edible oily seeds, and for its showy flowers
Medical Definition
opium poppy
noun
: an annual Eurasian poppy (Papaver somniferum) cultivated since antiquity as the source of opium, for its edible oily seeds, or for its showy flowers
More from Merriam-Webster on opium poppy
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about opium poppy
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