noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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Received-Pronunciation:/dʌɪˈaz.ɪ.pam/
Received-Pronunciation:/dʌɪˈeɪ.zɪ.pam/
General-American:/daɪˈæz.əˌpæm/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
1
noun
Meaning 1
A tranquilizing muscle relaxant drug (trademark Valium) used mainly to relieve anxiety.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Topics: medicine, pharmacology, sciences
Examples
2001: The most effective anti-anxiety drugs (tranquillizers) are the benzodiazepines, epitomized by diazepam (Valium®). — Leslie Iversen, Drugs: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford 2001, p. 57)
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
a tranquilizer (trade name Valium) used to relieve anxiety and relax muscles; acts by enhancing the inhibitory actions of the neurotransmitter GABA; can also be used as an anticonvulsant drug in cases of nerve agent poisoning
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: Valium
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: benzodiazepine
History
Etymology
Etymology tree Arabic لُبَان (lubān) Proto-Indo-European *yew- Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *yéwos Proto-Indo-Iranian *yáwas Sanskrit यव (yava)bor.? Proto-Austronesian *zawa Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *zawader.? Old Javanese jawa Old Javanese -i Old Javanese Jawi Javanese ꦗꦮꦶ (jawi)der. Arabic جَاوَة (jāwa) Proto-Afroasiatic Proto-Semitic Arabic ـِيّ (-iyy) Arabic جَاوِيّ (jāwiyy) Arabic لُبَان جَاوِيّ (lubān jāwiyy)bor. Catalan benjuíder. Middle French benjoinder. English benzoin English benzo- Proto-Indo-European *dwóh1 Proto-Indo-European *dwi- Proto-Hellenic *dwi- Ancient Greek δῐ- (dĭ-)bor. Latin di-bor. English di- Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Indo-European *n̥- Proto-Hellenic *ə- Ancient Greek ᾰ̓- (ă-) Proto-Indo-European *gweyh3- Proto-Indo-European *-wós Proto-Indo-European *gwih3wós Proto-Indo-European *gwíh3weti Proto-Hellenic *gwyṓw-ō Proto-Hellenic *ďṓwō Ancient Greek ζώω (zṓō) Ancient Greek ζῶ (zô) Proto-Indo-European *-h2 Proto-Indo-European *-éh2 Ancient Greek -ᾱ (-ā) Ancient Greek -η (-ē) Ancient Greek ζωή (zōḗ) French azotebor. English azote English az- Proto-Afroasiatic *sṗɣ? Proto-Semitic *šabʕ-bor.? Proto-Indo-European *septḿ̥ Proto-Hellenic *heptə́ Ancient Greek ἑπτᾰ́ (heptắ)der. French hepta- Proto-Indo-European *-nós Proto-Indo-European *-iHnos Proto-Italic *-īnos Latin -īnus French -in Proto-Indo-European *-h2 Proto-Indo-European *-eh2 Proto-Italic *-ā Latin -am Old French -e French -e French -ine English -epine English azepine English diazepine English (benzo)diazep(ine) Egyptian jmnbor. Ancient Greek Ᾰ̓́μμων (Ắmmōn)bor. Latin Ammōn Latin ammoniacusder. English ammonia Proto-Indo-European *dheh1-der. Proto-Italic *-iðos Latin -idusder. English -ide English am(ide) English diazepam From (benzo)diazep(ine) + am(ide).
Across languages
Translations
20 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Chinese Mandarin:
地西泮
(dìxīpàn)
— minor tranquillizer
Dutch:
diazepam
— minor tranquillizer
Finnish:
diatsepaami
— minor tranquillizer
French:
diazépam
— minor tranquillizer
German:
Diazepam
— minor tranquillizer
Greek:
διαζεπάμη
(diazepámi)
— minor tranquillizer
Hungarian:
diazepám
— minor tranquillizer
Japanese:
ジアゼパム
(jiazepamu)
— minor tranquillizer
Kazakh:
диазепам
(diazepam)
— minor tranquillizer
Persian:
دیازپام
— minor tranquillizer
Polish:
diazepam
— minor tranquillizer
Polish:
relanium
— minor tranquillizer
Portuguese:
diazepam
— minor tranquillizer
Russian:
диазепа́м
(diazepám)
— minor tranquillizer
Russian:
сибазо́н
(sibazón)
— minor tranquillizer
Russian:
рела́ниум
(relánium)
— minor tranquillizer
Russian:
седуксе́н
(seduksén)
— minor tranquillizer