Oxies

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Plural form for oxycodone tablets, particularly those used recreationally or without prescription ; shortened slang term for a specific opioid painkiller
2. Informal plural diminutive referencing pills containing the opioid oxycodone ; colloquial name for such medications, often in a misuse context
3. Slang for multiple oxycodone tablets, usually intended to indicate illicit or non-medical use ; familiar abbreviation for oxycodone-based pills

Etymology: "Oxies" is the slang plural of "oxy," itself a clipping of oxycodone. The drug's name blends "oxy-," reflecting the extra oxygen atom in its structure, with "codeine," from which it was derived; Freund and Speyer first made it in Germany in 1916. The street nickname took off after Purdue Pharma launched OxyContin, a long-acting oxycodone tablet, in 1996. Its misuse spread widely in the early 2000s, and users shortened the brand and drug names to "oxy" and then pluralized them.

Synonyms: oxen, ox