Laudanum

[laʊ̯ˈdaːnʊm]

/[laʊ̯ˈdaːnʊm]/ noun

The verdict

“Laudanum” is uncommon German (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency German
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - „(als Beruhigungs- und Schmerzmittel verwendete) Tinktur aus Opium“

Corpus desk

Index DE-laudanum · Laudanum · German

Laudanum · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "L" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for Laudanum
PropertyValue
HeadwordLaudanum
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[laʊ̯ˈdaːnʊm]
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Langschwanz-Rang von „Laudanum“ im Deutschen

Laudanumliegt außerhalb der 100.000 häufigsten deutschen Wörter, im Langschwanz technischer, archaischer oder seltener Formen, genau dort, wo Schreibzweifeln zuschlagen.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

Laudanum is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed [laʊ̯ˈdaːnʊm]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "„(als Beruhigungs- und Schmerzmittel verwendete) Tinktur aus Opium“".

No misspelling variants are generated for Laudanum in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct German form is Laudanum, spelled L-A-U-D-A-N-U-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    „(als Beruhigungs- und Schmerzmittel verwendete) Tinktur aus Opium“

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how Laudanum appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. „Das meiste Geld verdiente er jedoch mit der Herstellung und dem Export von Arzneimitteln und Chemikalien, von Quecksilbersublimat für die Behandlung von Syphilisgeschwüren bis zu Laudanum und anderen Opiaten.“
  2. „Ich sehe den Hinterhof, wie er während des langen Winters war, die schwarzen Äste der Ulmen mit Eis verbrämt, der Boden hart und kahl, der Himmel mit Zink und Laudanum bekleckst.“

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "Laudanum"?
"Laudanum" is spelled L-A-U-D-A-N-U-M. The IPA pronunciation is [laʊ̯ˈdaːnʊm].
What does "Laudanum" mean?
As a noun, "Laudanum" means: „(als Beruhigungs- und Schmerzmittel verwendete) Tinktur aus Opium“
How do you pronounce "Laudanum"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Laudanum" is [laʊ̯ˈdaːnʊm]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Laudanum" come from?
"Laudanum" is a German word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list