soporific

English

WOTD - 30 June 2010    

Alternative forms

• soporifick (obsolete)

Etymology

From French soporifique, from Latin sopor (“deep sleep”), from Proto-Indo-European *swepōr, from Proto-Indo-European *swep-. Unrelated to stupor (distinct in Proto-Indo-European).

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA: /ˌsɒp.əˈɹɪf.ɪk/, /ˌsoʊ.pəˈɹɪf.ɪk/

Noun

soporific (plural soporifics)

1. Something inducing sleep, especially a drug.

   The doctor prescribed a soporific to help him sleep.

2. (figuratively) Something boring or dull.

Synonyms

• See also Wikisaurus:soporific

Translations

sleep inducing agent

Arabic: مُنَوِّم (ar) (munawwim) Armenian: քնաբեր (hy) (k’naber) Bulgarian: приспивателно (bg) n. Catalan: somnífer (ca) m., hipnòtic (ca) m., soforífic (ca) m., narcòtic (ca) m. Dutch: soporatief (nl) n., slaapmiddel (nl) Esperanto: dormigilo (eo) Finnish: unilääke (fi) French: somnifère (fr)

German: Schlafmittel (de) n. Greek: υπνωτικό (el) (ypnotikó) n. Interlingua: soporifico (ia) Italian: sonnifero (it) m. Portuguese: soporífero (pt) m., soporífico (pt) m. Russian: снотворное (ru) (snotvórnoje) n. Spanish: somnífero (es)

Adjective

soporific (comparative more soporific, superlative most soporific)

1. Tending to induce sleep.

   The professor delivered a soporific lecture.

   • 1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, Book V, chapter i

     For we are not here to understand, as perhaps some have, that an author actually falls asleep while he is writing. It is true, that readers are too apt to be so overtaken; […] To say the truth, these soporific parts are so many scenes of serious artfully interwoven, in order to contrast and set off the rest;

2. (figuratively) boring, dull

Synonyms

• See also Wikisaurus:soporific

Translations

tending to induce sleep

Arabic: مُنَوِّم (ar) (munawwim) Armenian: քնաբեր (hy) (k’naber) Bulgarian: приспивателен (bg) m., сънотворен (bg) m. Catalan: soporífer (ca), soporífic (ca), narcòtic (ca), somnífer (ca), hipnòtic (ca) Dutch: soporatief (nl), slaapverwekkend (nl) Finnish: unettava (fi) French: soporifique (fr)

German: einschläfernd (de) Greek: υπνωτικός (el) (ypnotikós) m. Interlingua: soporific (ia) Italian: soporifero (it) m. Portuguese: soporífero (pt) m., soporífico (pt) m. Russian: усыпляющий (ru), навевающий сон (ru), вводящий в сон (ru) Spanish: soporífico (es), somnífero (es)

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Romanian

Etymology

French soporifique

Pronunciation

• IPA: [soporiˈfik]

Adjective

soporific ^{4 nom/acc forms}

1. soporific

Declension

declension of soporific

		singular			plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine	masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative/ accusative	indefinite	soporific		soporifică	soporifici	soporifice
	definite	soporificul		soporifica	soporificii	soporificele
genitive/ dative	indefinite	soporific		soporifice	soporifici	soporifice
	definite	soporificului		soporificei	soporificilor	soporificelor

Synonyms

• somnifer
• soporifer