soporific

English

WOTD – 30 June 2010

Alternative forms

• soporifick (obsolete)

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˌsɒp.əˈɹɪf.ɪk/, /ˌsəʊ.pəˈɹɪf.ɪk/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˌsɑp.əˈɹɪf.ɪk/, /ˌsoʊ.pəˈɹɪf.ɪk/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪfɪk
• Hyphenation: so‧po‧ri‧fic

Noun

soporific (plural soporifics)

1. (pharmacology) Something inducing sleep, especially a drug.

   The doctor prescribed a soporific to help the patient sleep.

   • 2022 January 27, Derek Thompson, “Can Medieval Sleeping Habits Fix America’s Insomnia?”, in The Atlantic‎^[1]:

     And ancient soporifics—such as poisonous leaves and various opiate concoctions—were roughly as likely to kill you as they were to induce REM.

2. (figuratively) Something boring or dull.

Translations

sleep inducing agent

• Arabic: مُنَوِّم (munawwim)
• Armenian: քնաբեր (hy) (kʻnaber)
• Bulgarian: приспивателно (bg) n (prispivatelno)
• Catalan: somnífer (ca) m, hipnòtic m, soforífic m, narcòtic (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Hokkien: 愛睏藥仔／爱困药仔 (zh-min-nan) (ài-khùn-io̍h-á)

  Mandarin: 催眠藥／催眠药 (zh) (cuīmiányào), 安眠藥／安眠药 (zh) (ānmiányào), 催眠劑／催眠剂 (zh) (cuīmiánjì)

• Czech: uspávadlo n
• Danish: sovemiddel (da) n
• Dutch: soporatief (nl) n, slaapmiddel (nl)
• Esperanto: dormigilo
• Finnish: unilääke (fi)
• French: somnifère (fr)
• Georgian: საძილე საშუალება (saʒile sašualeba), საძილე პრეპარატი (saʒile ṗreṗaraṭi), საძილე ნივთიერება (saʒile nivtiereba)
• German: Schlafmittel (de) n
• Greek: υπνωτικό (el) n (ypnotikó)
• Greenlandic: sininnartoq
• Interlingua: soporifico
• Italian: sonnifero (it) m
• Korean: 수면제(睡眠劑) (ko) (sumyeonje)
• Latin: sopor m
• Maori: mea whakamoe, rongoā whakamoe
• Polish: środek nasenny m
• Portuguese: soporífero m, soporífico m
• Russian: снотво́рное (ru) n (snotvórnoje)
• Spanish: somnífero (es)
• Swedish: sömnmedel (sv) n
• Ukrainian: сноді́йне n (snodíjne)
• Vietnamese: thuốc ngủ (vi) (𧆄㬳)

Adjective

soporific (comparative more soporific, superlative most soporific)

1. (pharmacology) Tending to induce sleep.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:soporific

   • 1749, Henry Fielding, chapter I, in The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC, book V:

     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;

   • 1909, Beatrix Potter, The Tale of The Flopsy Bunnies:

     It is said that the effect of eating too much lettuce is “soporific.” I have never felt sleepy after eating lettuces; but then I am not a rabbit. They certainly had a very soporific effect upon the Flopsy Bunnies!

   • 1961 July, Cecil J. Allen, “Locomotive Running Past and Present”, in Trains Illustrated, page 401:

     I should imagine that the smooth riding and the quietness of the diesel or electric cab, coupled with the effect on the eyes of endless successions of sleepers disappearing from sight immediately under the driver's eyes, might in time have a soporific effect, so that the company of a second man, who can assist in signal observations when he is not at work in the engine cab, seems highly desirable in such conditions.

2. (figuratively) Boring, dull.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:boring

   The professor delivered a soporific lecture.

   • 2019 December 2, Fiona Harvey, “Climate crisis: what is COP and can it save the world?”, in The Guardian‎^[2]:

     COP stands for conference of the parties under the UNFCCC, and the annual meetings have swung between fractious and soporific, interspersed with moments of high drama and the occasional triumph (the Paris agreement in 2015) and disaster (Copenhagen in 2009).

Translations

tending to induce sleep

• Arabic: مُنَوِّم (munawwim)
• Armenian: քնաբեր (hy) (kʻnaber)
• Bulgarian: приспивателен (bg) m (prispivatelen), сънотворен m (sǎnotvoren)
• Catalan: soporífer, soporífic, narcòtic (ca), somnífer (ca), hipnòtic
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 催眠的 (cuīmián de)

• Czech: uspávající
• Dutch: soporatief (nl), slaapverwekkend (nl)
• Finnish: unettava
• French: soporifique (fr)
• Georgian: ძილის მომგვრელი (ʒilis momgvreli), დამაძინებელი (damaʒinebeli)
• German: einschläfernd (de)
• Greek: υπνωτικός (el) m (ypnotikós)

  Ancient: ὑπνωτικός (hupnōtikós)

• Interlingua: soporific
• Italian: soporifero (it) m, addormentativo m, addormentatore m
• Korean: 잠이 오게 하는 (jami oge haneun)
• Kurdish:

  Northern Kurdish: xewîner

• Latin: somnifer, somnificus
• Maori: rongoā whakamoe
• Persian: خواب‌آور (xâb-âvar)
• Portuguese: soporífero m, soporífico m
• Russian: усыпляющий (ru) (usypljajuščij), навевающий сон (navevajuščij son), вводящий в сон (vvodjaščij v son), снотво́рный (ru) (snotvórnyj), убаю́кивающий (ru) (ubajúkivajuščij)
• Spanish: soporífico, somnífero (es)
• Swedish: sövande (sv)

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French soporifique.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /so.poˈri.fik/

Adjective

soporific m or n (feminine singular soporifică, masculine plural soporifici, feminine and neuter plural soporifice)

1. soporific

   Synonyms: somnifer, soporifer

Declension

		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		soporificelor	soporificilor