placebo

Definition

A dummy medicine containing no active ingredients; an inert treatment.

Etymology

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

Example Sentences

• "The acid test, I thought, was whether homeopathic remedies behave differently from placebos when submitted to clinical trials."
• "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."
• "There the placebo, the office for the dead, was sung, and a vigil kept throughout the night."

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