Placebo is a pharmacological or therapeutic treatment or intervention that has no active medicinal ingredient but can produce a perceived or actual improvement due to psychological factors. In medical contexts, it’s used in controlled trials or as a treatment option where the patient is unaware of the inert nature. The term highlights the mind–body connection in healing and research design.
"The patient was given a placebo to compare against the real drug in the clinical trial."
"Although the pill looked identical to the medicine, it contained no active ingredient and was used as a placebo."
"Some patients report relief after taking a placebo, illustrating the power of expectation."
"Researchers warned that placebo effects can complicate the interpretation of trial results."
Placebo derives from Latin placere, meaning “to please” or “to appease.” In Latin liturgical contexts, placebo was used as the opening line of Psalm 116: “Placebo Domino” (I shall please the Lord) in the Vulgate, giving the word its sense of pleasing or satisfying. By the 18th century, English medical usage adopted Placebo to describe a substance given to please or satisfy a patient rather than to confer a pharmacological effect. The concept was formalized in clinical research later as a control in trials, where the patient (and often the clinician) is unaware of which treatment is active. The term’s modern sense—an inert intervention that can influence perception—emerged with the growth of randomized controlled trials in the 20th century, solidifying placebo as both a methodological tool and a psychological phenomenon. First known English medical usage dates to the 18th–19th centuries, with broader adoption in pharmacology and psychology through the 1900s, aligning with evolving understandings of expectancy, conditioning, and the biopsychosocial contributors to healing.
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Words that rhyme with "Placebo"
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Placebo is pronounced /pləˈsiː.boʊ/ in US English (phonemic: /pləˈsiː.boʊ/). The stress falls on the second syllable: pla-CE-bo. Start with an unstressed schwa in the first syllable, then a long E in the second, and end with a long O in the final syllable. Mouth positions: lips relaxed for /plə/, tongue high-mid for /siː/, and rounded slightly for /boʊ/. Pay attention to the /ˈsiː/ as a clear, tense vowel rather than a quick schwa; avoid reducing to /pləˈsi.boʊ/ with weak second syllable. Audio reference: listen to standard pronunciation examples in Cambridge/Oxford online dictionaries or Forvo for US pronunciations.
Common mistakes include misplacing the stress on the first syllable (PLÅ-ce-bo) instead of the second, and mispronouncing the /siː/ as a short /ɪ/ or /i/ sound. Another frequent error is flattening the final /oʊ/ into a simple /o/ or /oʊ/ with too quick a release. Correct by: (1) stressing the second syllable /ˈsiː/; (2) ensuring the /siː/ has a tense, long vowel; (3) finishing with a rounded, tense /oʊ/ rather than a lax /o/. Listening to native samples helps fix these patterns.
In US English, /pləˈsiː.boʊ/ with a rhotic /r/ absent, clear /siː/ and /boʊ/. In UK English, /ˈplæ.siː.bəʊ/ may show a shorter first syllable with less reduction and a non-rhotic /r/ absence similar to US, but vowel qualities can be broader; the final /əʊ/ is commonly realized as /əʊ/ with a longer, rounded diphthong. Australian English tends to merge some vowel qualities toward /æ/ or /eɪ/ in the first syllable and a clean /əʊ/ ending; stress remains on the second syllable. Listen to regional dictionaries to fine-tune this.
It challenges learners due to the combination of a schwa-heavy first syllable, a long high vowel in the second syllable, and a final rounded diphthong. The sequence pl- plus a light onset /pl/ can trap non-native speakers into a lax /pl/; the second syllable requires a precise /siː/ with tenseness, while the closing /boʊ/ demands an accurate rounded lips position and a fluid glide. Mastery requires listening to native samples, practicing minimal pairs, and slowing the pace to coordinate the mouth movements across all three syllables.
A key distinguishing feature is the strong, stressed second syllable /ˈsiː/ that carries the vowel length and tension, setting it apart from closely spelled words where the second syllable might be lighter or unstressed. The final /boʊ/ has a rounded lip rounding and a tight, closed, near-diphthong glide. The combination of a stressed mid-vowel and a rounded, long final diphthong helps anchor the word in English pronunciation and reduces confusions with words like 'plaster' or 'plasma' through vowel and stress differences.
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