noun
- An alkaloid found in opium and used in pharmaceutical preparations, especially as a mild analgesic and cough suppressant.
Usage: Also spelled codeine (more common modern spelling).; Technical/medical term.
Examples
- Codeia is a naturally occurring alkaloid derived from the opium poppy.
- The medication contains codeia as its active ingredient for pain relief.
- Codeia was historically used in cough syrups before modern alternatives became available.
- Pharmaceutical companies have largely standardized the spelling to codeine rather than codeia.