I. nar ‧ cot ‧ ic 1 /nɑːˈkɒtɪk $ nɑːrˈkɑː-/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: French ; Origin: narcotique , from Greek narkotikos , from narkoun 'to make numb' , from narke 'being without feeling' ]
1 . narcotics [plural] especially American English strong illegal drugs such as ↑ heroin or ↑ cocaine :
the narcotics trade
narcotics agent (=a police officer who deals with the problems of narcotics)
2 . a type of drug which makes you sleep and reduces pain
II. narcotic 2 BrE AmE adjective
1 . [only before noun] especially American English relating to illegal drugs:
narcotic addiction
2 . a narcotic drug takes away pain or makes you sleep