placebo
//pləˈsiːboʊ//
Noun
placeboSingular
placebosPlural
1
A substance or treatment with no therapeutic effect, used as a control in testing new drugs or given to a patient for psychological benefit.
Half of the participants in the clinical trial received a placebo instead of the actual medication.
2
Something designed to calm or please someone rather than to have any real effect.
The government's new policy was just a placebo to calm public anger.