Lude

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A sedative tablet of methaqualone, a drug once widely prescribed and later abused as a recreational downer
2. Informal slang for a methaqualone pill, a depressant sedative that was popular as a recreational drug in the 1970s
3. The street name for a methaqualone tablet, a sleep-inducing sedative that became notorious for recreational misuse

Etymology: "Lude" is a shortened form of "Quaalude," the brand name of methaqualone, a sedative sleeping tablet. The brand name was itself a blend, and the clipping that became "lude" follows a common pattern in informal speech, where the opening syllable of a long trade name is dropped to leave something quicker to say. Quaalude was a trademark for a drug that doctors prescribed to help people sleep and to ease anxiety, and it became notorious for recreational use. Its popularity in the United States gave the clipped form wide currency in slang, and "lude" came to stand on its own for the pill itself, so a user could refer to a single tablet without needing the full name.