2128: dope vs. dopamine Oct 12, 2020

While dope (as in drugs, particularly heroine) causes someone to have a chemical reaction with a rush dopamine, these words are not related however. 'Dope' originally meant 'thick sauce' and as such refers to things that make one slow, or just a slow person or especially a horse. Dopamine on the other hand comes as a combination 'dopa' and 'amine' (a type of chemical compound), with 'dopa' originating as a abbreviation (from the German) for dihydroxyphenylalanine, which by the way has nothing to do with thick sauces.