Online Etymology Dictionary

drug: early 14c., "medicine," from O.Fr. drogue, perhaps from M.Du. or M.L.G. droge-vate "dry barrels," with first element mistaken as word for the contents (see dry goods), or because medicines mostly consisted of dried herbs. Application to "narcotics and opiates" is 1883, though association with "poisons" is 1500s. The verb is from c.1600. Druggie first recorded 1968. Drug-store is 1810; drug-store cowboy is 1925, Amer.Eng. slang, originally one who dressed like a Westerner but obviously wasn't. To be a drug on or in the market (mid-17c.) is of doubtful connection and may be a different word, perhaps drag, which was sometimes drug c.1240-1800.
drugs: "narcotics, opiates, etc.," 1883, from drug.
Ritalin: proprietary name (Ciba Ltd., originally in Switzerland) for drug methylphenidate hydrochloride, copyrighted 1948, years before the drug itself was marketed.
freak out (n.): also freakout “bad psychedelic drug trip or something comparable to one,” 1966 (despite an amusing coincidental appearance of the phrase dug up by the OED for 1749), from verbal phrase freak out, attested from 1965 in the drug sense; see freak. Freak (n.) "drug user" is attested from 1945.
FDA: U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 1930, shortened from Food, Drug, and Insecticide Administration.
Dramamine: proprietary name of an anti-nausea drug, 1949.
Viagra: 1998, proprietary name of drug manufactured by Pfizer company.
S.T.P.: commercial motor oil additive, probably an acronym of scientifically treated petroleum. As the street name of a type of psychedelic drug, attested from 1967.
burnout: "drug user," early 1970s slang, from burn + out. Meaning "mental exhaustion from continuous effort" is from 1975.
euphoric: 1888, from euphoria + -ic. The noun meaning "a drug which causes euphoria" is from 1934.
trip (n.): "act or action of tripping," 1660, from trip (v.); sense of "a short journey or voyage" is from 1691, originally a nautical term, the connection is uncertain. The meaning "psychedelic drug experience" is first recorded 1959 as a noun; the verb in this sense is from 1966, from the noun.
reefer: "marijuana cigarette," 1920s, perhaps an alteration of Mex.Sp. grifo "marijuana, drug addict;" or perhaps from reef (2), on resemblance to a rolled sail.
flashback: 1903, in reference to fires in engines or furnaces, from flash + back (adj.). Movie plot device sense is from 1916. The hallucinogenic drug sense is attested in psychological literature from 1970, which means probably hippies were using it a few years before.
detoxicate: 1867, from de- + toxic + -ate. Specifically of drug and alcohol addictions since 1970.
designer: 1640s, "one who schemes;" from design. Meaning "one who makes an artistic design or a construction plan" is from 1660s; in fashion, "bearing the label of a famous designer" (thus presumed to be expensive or prestigious), from 1966. Designer drug attested from 1983.
heroin: from Ger. Heroin, coined 1898 as trademark registered by Friedrich Bayer & Co. for their morphine substitute, traditionally from Gk. heros (see hero) because of the euphoric feeling the drug provides.
sedative (adj.): "tending to calm or soothe," early 15c., from M.L. sedativus "calming, allaying," from pp. stem of sedare (see sedate). The noun derivative meaning "a sedative drug" is attested from 1785.
smack (n.3): "heroin," 1942, Amer.Eng. slang, probably an alteration of schmeck "a drug," esp. heroin (1932), from Yiddish schmeck "a sniff."
dealer: O.E. dælere, agent noun from deal. Meaning "player who passes out the cards in a game" is from c.1600; meaning "one who deals in merchandise" is from 1610s. Illegal drug sense is recorded by 1920. Related: Dealership (1916).
methaqualone: hypnotic sedative drug, 1961, from meth(o)- + connecting particle -a- + qu(in)a(zo)lone.
shanghai: 1854, Amer.Eng., "to drug a man unconscious and ship him as a sailor," from the practice of kidnapping to fill the crews of ships making extended voyages, such as to the Chinese seaport of Shanghai; lit. "by the sea," from Shang "on, above" + hai "sea."
streptomycin: antibiotic drug, 1944, from Mod.L. Streptomyces, genus name of the soil bacterium from which the antibiotic was obtained, from Gk. streptos "twisted" + mykes "fungus." First isolated by U.S. microbiologist Selman Abraham Waksman (1888-1973).
head: O.E. heafod "top of the body," also "upper end of a slope," also "chief person, leader, ruler," from P.Gmc. *khaubuthan (cf. O.S. hobid, O.N. hofuð, O.Fris. haved, Ger. Haupt, Goth. haubiþ "head"), from PIE *kauput- "head" (cf. Skt. kaput-, L. caput "head"), also "bowl" (as in skull). Modern spelling is c.1420, representing what was then a long vowel (as in heat). Meaning "obverse of a coin" is from 1684; meaning "foam on a mug of beer" is first attested 1545; meaning "toilet" is from 1748, based on location of crew toilet in the bow (or head) of a ship. Synechdochic use for "person" (as in head count) is first attested 1535; of cattle, etc., in this sense from 1513. To give head "perform fellatio" is from 1950s. Meaning "drug addict" (usually in a compound with the preferred drug as the first element) is from 1911. The verb head "to shape one's course toward" (1835) was originally nautical. Header "head-first dive or plunge" first attested 1849. Headlight is from 1861, originally of ships and locomotives. Headquarters is from 1647. Headstrong "determined to have one's way" is from 1398. Headroom "space above the head" first recorded 1851. Headphone is 1914, with second element extracted from telephone. Phrase head over heels is "a curious perversion" [Weekley] of M.E. heels over head. Phrase heads will roll "people will be punished" (1930) translates Adolf Hitler.
kilo: 1870, shortening of kilogram. The prefix meaning "one thousand" was introduced in Fr. 1795, when the metric system was officially adopted there, from Gk. khilioi "thousand," of unknown origin. Slang shortening key (in drug trafficking) is attested from 1968.
space (v.): 1703, "to arrange at set intervals," from space (n.). Meaning "to be in a state of drug-induced euphoria" is recorded from 1968. Space cadet "eccentric person disconnected with reality" (often implying an intimacy with hallucinogenic drugs) is a 1960s phrase, probably traceable to 1950s U.S. sci-fi television program "Tom Corbett, Space Cadet," which was watched by many children who dreamed of growing up to be one and succeeded.
pharmacopeia: "official book listing drugs and containing directions for their preparation, 1621, from medical L., from Gk. pharmakopoiia "preparation of drugs," from pharmakon "drug" + poiein "to make." First used as a book title by Anutius Foesius (1528-95) of Basel.
cocaine: 1874, from Fr. cocaine (1856), coined by Albert Niemann of Gottingen University from coca (from Quechua cuca) + -ine, arbitrary use of L. -inus, -ina for noun ending. A medical coinage, the drug was used 1870s as a local anaesthetic for eye surgery, etc.
nepenthe: 1580, nepenthes, from Gk., from ne- "no, not" (see un-) + penthos "grief" (related to pathos). A drug of Egypt mentioned in the "Odyssey" as capable of banishing grief or trouble from the mind. The -s is a proper part of the word, but was likely mistaken in Eng. as a plural affix and dropped.
Thalidomide: 1958, from "phthalimidoglutarimide," based on abbreviated form of naphthalene; a morning-sickness drug responsible for severe birth defects in Europe from 1956 to 1961, when it was withdrawn. It was never approved for use in America thanks to the efforts of Dr. Helen Brooke Taussig. Thalidomide baby is attested from 1962.
salep: 1736 (also saloop, 1712) "a starch or jelly made from dried tubers of orchid-like plants, formerly used as a drug," from Turk. salep, from dial. pronunciation of Arabic thaeleb, which usually is taken to be a shortening of khasyu 'th-thaeleb, lit. "fox's testicles" (cf. native Eng. name dogstones).
narcotic (n.): c.1385, from O.Fr. adj. narcotique (1314), from M.L. narcoticum, from Gk. narkotikon, neut. of narkotikos "making stiff or numb," from narkotos, verbal adj. of narcoun "to benumb, make unconscious," from narke "numbness, stupor, cramp," perhaps from PIE base *(s)nerq- "to turn, twist." Sense of "any illegal drug" first recorded 1926, Amer.Eng. The adj. is first attested 1601.
pharmacy: late 14c., "a medicine," from O.Fr. farmacie, from M.L. pharmacia, from Gk. pharmakeia "use of drugs or medicines," from pharmakeus "preparer of drugs," from pharmakon "drug, poison, philter, charm, spell, enchantment." Meaning "use or administration of drugs" is attested from c.1400; that of "place where drugs are prepared and dispensed" is first recorded 1833. Pharmacist coined in Eng. 1834.
venom: early 13c., from Anglo-Fr. and O.Fr. venim, from V.L. *venimen, from L. venenum "poison, drug, potion," perhaps ultimately connected to venus "erotic love" (see Venus), in which case the original meaning might have been "love potion." The meaning "bitter, virulent feeling or language" is first recorded c.1300.
lemon (1): type of citrus fruit, c.1400, from O.Fr. limon "citrus fruit," from O.Prov., from Arabic laimun or Pers. limu(n), generic terms for citrus fruits (compare lime); cognate with Skt. nimbu "the lime." Slang meaning "a Quaalude" is 1960s, from Lemmon, name of a pharmaceutical company that once manufactured the drug.
crackhead: slang, "crack cocaine addict," by 1986, from crack (in the drug slang sense) + head. In earlier slang, crack-headed meant "crazy" (1796), from the literal sense of crack.
aloe: O.E. aluwan (pl.) "fragrant resin of an E. Indian tree," a Biblical usage, from L. aloe, from Gk. aloe, translating Hebrew ahalim (pl., perhaps ult. from a Dravidian language). The Greek word probably was chosen for resemblance of sound to the Hebrew, since the Greek and Latin words referred originally to a genus of plants with bitter juice, used as a purgative drug, a sense which appeared in English late 14c. The word was then mis-applied to the American agave plant in 1682.
dope: 1807, Amer.Eng., "sauce, gravy," from Du. doop "thick dipping sauce." Extension to "drug" is 1889, from practice of smoking semi-liquid opium preparation. Meaning "foolish, stupid person" is older (1851) and may have a sense of "thick-headed." Sense of "inside information" (1901) may come from knowing before the race which horse had been drugged to influence performance. Related: Doped; doping. Dope-fiend is attested from 1896.
dry: O.E. dryge (adj.), drygan (v.), from P.Gmc. *draugiz. Of humor, 1540s; of places prohibiting alcoholic drink, 1870 (but dry feast, one at which no liquor is served, is from late 15c.). Related: Dried; drily. Of the two noun spellings, drier is the older (1520s), while dryer (1874) was first used of machines. Dry goods (1708) were those measured out in dry, not liquid, measure. Dry land (that not under the sea) is from early 13c. Dry out in the drug addiction sense is from 1967. Dry up "stop talking" is 1853.
clean: O.E. clæne "clean, pure," from W.Gmc. *klainoz "clear, pure," from PIE base *gel- "to gleam" (cf. Gk. glene "eyeball," O.Ir. gel "bright"). As an adj., replaced in higher senses by clear, pure, but as a verb (c.1450) it has largely usurped what once belonged to cleanse. The adj. clean in the sense of "innocent" is from c.1300; that of "not lewd" is from 1867; that of "free of drug addiction" is 1950s. To take (someone) to the cleaners "get all of (someone's) money" is from 1932.
ecstasy: late 14c., "in a frenzy or stupor, fearful, excited," from O.Fr. extasie, from L.L. extasis, from Gk. ekstasis "trance, distraction," from existanai "displace," also "drive out of one's mind" (existanai phrenon), from ek "out" + histanai "to place, cause to stand," from PIE base *sta- "to stand" (see stet). Used by 17c. mystical writers for "a state of rapture that stupefied the body while the soul contemplated divine things," which probably helped the meaning shift to "exalted state of good feeling" (1610s). Slang use for the drug 3,4-methylendioxymethamphetamine dates from 1985.
droog: "gang member, young ruffian," a transliteration of the Rus. word for "friend," introduced by Eng. novelist Anthony Burgess in "A Clockwork Orange" (1962). The Rus. word comes from O.C.S. drugu "companion, friend, other" (cf. Boh. drug "companion," Serbo-Cr. drugi "other"), which belongs to a group of related IE words (cf. Lith. draugas "friend, traveling companion;" Goth. driugan "do military service," ga-drauhts "soldier;" O.N. drott, O.E. dryht, O.H.G. truht "multitude, people, army") whose original sense seems to be "companion."
hallucinate: 1604, "deceive," from L. alucinatus, later hallucinatus, pp. of alucinari "wander (in the mind), dream," probably from Gk. alyein, Attic halyein "be distraught," probably related to alasthai "wander about." The L. ending probably was influenced by vaticinari "to prophecy," also "to rave." Sense of "to have illusions" is from 1652. Hallucination in the pathological/psychological sense of "seeing or hearing something which is not there" is first recorded 1646; distinct from illusion in not necessarily involving a false belief. Hallucinogen "drug which induces hallucinations" is first recorded 1954; hallucinogenic (adj.) in this sense is from 1952.
junk (1): "worthless stuff," 1338, junke "old cable or rope" (nautical), of uncertain origin, perhaps from O.Fr. junc "rush," from L. juncus "rush, reed." Nautical use extended to "old refuse from boats and ships" (1842), then to "old or discarded articles of any kind" (1884). The verb meaning "to throw away as trash, to scrap" is from 1916. Junkie "drug addict" is attested from 1923, but junk for "narcotic" is said to be older. Junk food is from 1973; junk art is from 1966; junk mail first attested 1954.
vehicle: 1612, "a medium through which a drug or medicine is administered," 1615 in the sense of "any means of conveying or transmitting," from Fr. véhicule, from L. vehiculum "means of transport, a vehicle," from vehere "to carry," from PIE *wegh- "to go, transport in a vehicle" (cf. O.E. wegan "to carry;" O.N. vegr, O.H.G. weg "way;" M.Du. wagen "wagon;" see wagon). Sense of "cart or other conveyance" first recorded 1656.
upper (adj.): c.1300, originally comparative of up. Cf. M.Du. upper, Du. opper, Low Ger. upper, Norw. yppare. Noun meaning "part of a shoe above the sole" is recorded from 1789; sense of "stimulant drug" is from 1968. Upper crust is attested from 1460 in ref. to the top crust of a loaf of bread, 1836 in ref. to society. The pugilistic uppercut is first recorded 1842. Upper hand "advantage" is 1481, probably from wrestling. Upperclassman is recorded from 1871. Upper middle class (adj.) is first recorded 1872.
addict: 1520s, adj., "delivered, devoted," from L. addictus, pp. of addicere "to deliver, award, yield, devote," from ad- "to" + dicere "say, declare" (see diction), but also "adjudge, allot." Modern sense is really self-addicted "to give over or award (oneself) to someone or some practice" (c.1600); specialization to narcotics dependency is from c.1910. The noun is first recorded 1909, in reference to morphine. Related: Addicted (1530s, "delivered over" by judicial sentence; modern meaning "dependent on a drug" from 1913); adj. addictive (1939 in the narcotics sense).
stuff (n.): early 14c., "quilted material worn under chain mail," from O.Fr. estoffe "quilted material, furniture, provisions" (Fr. étoffe), from estoffer "to equip or stock," probably from O.H.G. stopfon "to plug, stuff," or from a related Frankish word (see stop). Sense extended to material for working with in various trades (c.1400), then (1570s) "matter of an unspecified kind." Meaning "narcotic, dope, drug" is attested from 1929. To know (one's) stuff "have a grasp on a subject" is recorded from 1927. stuffy "poorly ventilated" is from 1831; sense of "pompous, smug" is from 1895.
hype (n.): "excessive or misleading publicity or advertising," 1967, Amer.Eng. (the verb is attested from 1937), probably in part a back-formation of hyperbole, but also from underworld slang sense "swindle by overcharging or short-changing" (1926), a back-formation of hyper "short-change con man" (1914), from prefix hyper- meaning "over, to excess." Also possibly influenced by drug addicts' slang hype, 1913 shortening of hypodermic needle. In early 18c., hyp "morbid depression of the spirits" was colloquial for hypochondria (usually as the hyp or the hyps).
joint (n.): late 13c., "a part of a body where two bones meet and move in contact with one another," from O.Fr. joint, from L. junctus, pp. of jungere "join" (see jugular). Slang meaning of "place, building, establishment" (esp. one where persons meet for shady activities) first recorded 1877, Amer.Eng., from an earlier Anglo-Irish sense (1821), perhaps on the notion of a side-room, one "joined" to a main room. The original U.S. sense was especially of "an opium-smoking den." Meaning "marijuana cigarette" (1938) is perhaps from notion of something often smoked in common, but there are other possibilities; earlier joint in drug slang meant "hypodermic outfit" (1935). Meaning "prison" is from 1953.
habit: early 13c., from O.Fr. habit, from L. habitus "condition, demeanor, appearance, dress," originally pp. of habere "to have, to hold, possess," from PIE base *ghabh- "to seize, take, hold, have, give, receive" (cf. Skt. gabhasti- "hand, forearm;" O.Ir. gaibim "I take, hold, I have," gabal "act of taking;" Lith. gabana "armful," gabenti "to remove;" Goth. gabei "riches;" O.E. giefan, O.N. gefa "to give"). Base sense probably "to hold," which can be either in offering or in taking. Applied in Latin to both inner and outer states of being, and taken over in both sense by English, though meaning of "dress" is now restricted to monks and nuns. Drug sense is from 1887. Habitual first attested 1520s.