sedative
se·da·tive
noun
1.
a drug that reduces excitability and calms a person
adjective
1.
tending to soothe or tranquilize
- “valium has a tranquilizing effect”
- “took a hot drink with sedative properties before going to bed”
Origin
Inherited from Middle English sedatif, from Anglo-Norman sedatif, from Medieval Latin sēdātīvus, which itself likely influenced the modern spelling. By surface analysis, sedate + -ive.
Related words
Broader terms
WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.