placebo
nounUK /pləˈsiːbəʊ/
US /pləˈsiːboʊ/
A fake medicine that helps you feel better just because you believe it will.
The doctor gave him a placebo, and he felt better even though it was only a sugar pill.
RELATED WORDS
OTHER MEANINGS
2. Something done to please someone rather than for real effect.
The meeting was just a placebo to keep the workers calm.
3. A substance with no active medicine given during a medical study.
Half the patients received the real drug and half received a placebo.
4. In the Catholic Church, the evening prayer for the dead.
The monks sang the placebo at vespers.