codeine Chem.
(ˈkəʊdiːn, -ɪiːn, formerly -iːaɪn)
Also codeina.
[f. Gr. κώδεια head, poppy-head + -ine.]
A white crystalline alkaloid (C18H21NO3) contained in opium, and used as a hypnotic; discovered and named in 1832 by Robiquet of Paris.
| 1838 T. Thomson Chem. Org. Bodies 250 Of Codeina. 1881 Nature XXIV. 293 M. Grimaux has succeeded in producing codeine, identical in properties with the naturally occurring alkaloid. |