From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishplacebopla‧ce‧bo /pləˈsiːbəʊ $ -boʊ/ noun (plural placebos) [countable] 1 MIa harmless substance given to a sick person instead of medicine, without telling them it is not real. Placebos are often used in tests in which some people take real medicine and others take a placebo, so that doctors can compare the results to see if the real medicine works properly.2 → placebo effect
Examples from the Corpus
placebo• Subjects were randomly assigned to receive a placebo or the cholesterol-lowering drug pravastatin.• A placebo, superficial and cosy, to lull the world into no longer questioning.• In each study, the rates in the vitamin A and placebo groups were similar.• Wright and Burton performed a crossover study of evening primrose oil and placebo in 99 adults and children with atopic eczema.• Because of ethical considerations no placebo group was established and it is conceded that this inevitably limits the strength of overall conclusions made.• Again, the placebo could be powerful because it meets some psychological need for attention and treatment.• When the tPA test is over, doctors will find out whether they gave her a useless placebo injection.Origin placebo (1700-1800) Latin “I shall please”, from placere; → PLEASE2 