soporific
- Tending to induce sleep or drowsiness, either literally (as a drug) or figuratively (as a dull speech or activity).
In a sentence
- The professor's soporific monotone had half the lecture hall nodding off within minutes.
- The doctor prescribed a mild soporific to help the patient sleep through the night.
Usage note. As a noun, 'soporific' refers to a sleep-inducing substance; as an adjective it can be used humorously to describe anything dull, making it a versatile word in both medical and literary writing.
Where it comes from
English soporific · entered English early 18th c.
From Latin 'sopor' (deep sleep) combined with the suffix '-fic' from 'facere' (to make). 'Sopor' is related to Sanskrit 'svapiti' (he sleeps) and ultimately to the Proto-Indo-European root *swep- (to sleep). It entered English in the early 18th century.