What does cocaine mean?
Cocaine is a powerful stimulant drug extracted from the leaves of the coca plant, native to South America. Chemically, it is an alkaloid known as benzoylmethylecgonine. In its most familiar illicit form it appears as a fine white powder, usually snorted, though it can also be dissolved and injected; when processed into smokable crystals it is known as crack cocaine. Cocaine produces intense but short-lived euphoria and heightened alertness by raising levels of dopamine in the brain, which makes it highly addictive. Its use carries serious risks to the heart and mental health, and possession or supply is illegal in most countries. Historically, cocaine had legitimate uses — Sigmund Freud wrote about it in the 1880s, and it remains one of the few local anaesthetics still approved for certain surgical procedures on the eye, nose, and throat. The word derives from 'coca', the name of the plant itself, combined with the '-ine' suffix common to alkaloids such as caffeine and nicotine.
nounAn addictive stimulant drug derived from the leaves of the coca plant, used illegally as a recreational drug and, in controlled medical settings, occasionally as a local anaesthetic.
- An illegal stimulant drug made from coca leaves, typically a white powder that is snorted or dissolved and injected.
- A crystalline alkaloid (benzoylmethylecgonine) obtained from coca leaves, used medicinally as a local anaesthetic, especially in ear, nose and throat surgery.
"The police seized a shipment of cocaine hidden in a consignment of fruit."
"Customs officers found several kilos of cocaine concealed in the vehicle's fuel tank."
"As a local anaesthetic, cocaine was once widely used in surgery before safer synthetic alternatives were developed."
Rarely used; 'cocaine' is normally uncountable as a substance name. A plural may appear only in pharmacological contexts referring to different salts or preparations of the drug.
"Several cocaines, including the hydrochloride and freebase forms, are distinguished in forensic analysis."
Cocaine was once sold over the counter as a medicine — and even appeared in the original formula of Coca-Cola before it was removed from the drink in the early 20th century.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cocaine
Cocaine takes its name from the coca plant (Erythroxylum coca), whose leaves Andean peoples have chewed for millennia for their mild stimulating effect. The word combines 'coca' with '-ine', the suffix used for alkaloid substances (as in caffeine and nicotine). The compound itself was first isolated from coca leaves in the mid-nineteenth century by European chemists, and the term entered English scientific vocabulary shortly afterwards. It shares this naming pattern with other '-ine' alkaloids rather than deriving from Latin or Greek roots directly.
How cocaine is actually used
Cocaine is a serious legal and medical term: it appears in news reporting, forensic, legal, and clinical contexts. In casual speech it may be shortened to 'coke' or called 'blow' or 'snow', but these are informal slang terms. The freebase form smoked in rock form is known as 'crack' or 'crack cocaine', which is chemically related but treated distinctly in law and usage. Because of its strong association with crime and addiction, the word carries heavy negative connotations and should be used with care in non-technical writing.
Easily confused with cocaine
Cacao is the tropical tree and seed from which chocolate is made; cocaine comes from the unrelated coca plant.
Codeine is an opioid painkiller derived from the opium poppy; cocaine is a stimulant derived from the coca plant.