Dope /doʊp/ is defined as
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1a : a thick liquid or pasty preparationb : a preparation for giving a desired quality to a substance or surface
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2: absorbent or adsorbent material used in various manufacturing processes (as the making of dynamite)
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3 a (1) : an illicit, habit-forming, or narcotic drug; especially : marijuana (2) : a preparation given to a racehorse to help or hinder its performance b chiefly Southern : a cola drink c : a stupid person
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4: information especially from a reliable source <the inside dope>
Dope or Doop was of Dutch origin and for a sauce or thick substance. According to the Oxford Dictionaries, by the early 1900’s the word Dope stood on it’s own to mean medicine. The word in the 1930’s in places such as jazz clubs had grown to mean marijuana and other illegal substances. In the 1940’s the word took on another meaning; as World War Two was forming the term “What’s the Dope?” was becoming popular slang. The phrase meant “What the info?” Much like “What’s the 411?” of the 1990’s. This phrase, like most slang died out pretty quickly in the 1940’s and went back to another term for drugs in the 1950’s to current times. In the 1980’s Dopes meaning changed again and became similar to great, cool, awesome etc. Phrases like “Those shoes are dope” are still commonly used as well as common reference to drugs.
Brief History of American Slang 