placebo

noun2

1. •
   A dummy medicine containing no active ingredients; an inert treatment.

   • The acid test, I thought, was whether homeopathic remedies behave differently from placebos when submitted to clinical trials. — 2010
2. •
   The vespers sung in the office for the dead.

   • There the placebo, the office for the dead, was sung, and a vigil kept throughout the night. — 2011