Tranquilizer
/ˈtræŋ.kwə.laɪ.zɚ/noun
A drug or substance that calms the mind or body, reducing anxiety or agitation.
Did you know?Tranquilizer comes from the same Latin root as *tranquil*, ultimately tied to *tranquillus*, a word for calm stillness that later gave English a term for sedating drugs.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ters-
“to dry up; to be dry”
Latin
Latin
trans- + quillus / tranq(u)illus
“calm, quiet, undisturbed”
Late Latin
Latin
tranquillāre
“to make calm or quiet”
17th Century
English
tranquil
“calm, peaceful, untroubled”
20th Century
English
tranquilizer
“a drug that reduces tension or agitation”
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