placebo
Portuguese, noun/plaˈse.bu/
placebo is spelled P-L-A-C-E-B-O (7 letters) and appears 1.4 times per million words in written Portuguese, the 27,005th most frequent Portuguese word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Placebo is a Portuguese masculine noun meaning “inert medicine administered for suggestive or psychological purposes, which can alleviate ailments solely through the faith that the…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The Portuguese Wiktionary (Wikcionário) defines it as “preparação neutra quanto a efeitos farmacológicos ministrada em substituição de um medicamento, com a…”.
What does placebo mean in English?
adjective
- 1
refers to the effect or reaction of an individual or group to whom a placebo was given
noun
- 1
masculineinert medicine administered for suggestive or psychological purposes, which can alleviate ailments solely through the faith that the patient has in its powers
- 2
masculinesubstance without therapeutic effects, administered in a clinical trial to a certain control group
- 3
masculineactive drug used in a condition in which it is inactive, with a similar objective
- 4
masculineaction or measure that is only intended to placate someone, without truly solving a problem
Source: English Wiktionary, Portuguese section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How Portuguese dictionaries define it
noun: 1. preparação neutra quanto a efeitos farmacológicos ministrada em substituição de um medicamento, com a finalidade de suscitar ou controlar as reações, geralmente de natureza psicológica, que acompanham tal procedimento terapêutico
The definition in the Portuguese Wiktionary (Wikcionário), in Portuguese.
Source: Portuguese Wiktionary (Wikcionário), dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
Forms of placebo
- placeba feminine
- placebos masculine plural
- placebas feminine plural
Source: English Wiktionary and Portuguese Wiktionary (Wikcionário) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
How do you pronounce placebo?
- Brazil /plaˈse.bu/
- Portugal /plɐˈse.bu/
- Portugal [plɐˈse.βu]
Sources: English Wiktionary, Portuguese Wiktionary (Wikcionário) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.
English words that translate to placebo
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is placebo in Portuguese?
placebo appears 1.4 times per million words in written Portuguese.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).