poison
Listen:Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
poison/ˈpɔɪzn/
▶noun
- 1 a substance that causes death or harm when introduced into or absorbed by a living organism.
- 2 something that has a destructive or corrupting influence.
- 3 Chemistry a substance that reduces the activity of a catalyst.
- 4 Physics an impurity that retards nuclear fission by absorbing neutrons.
- 1 administer poison to or contaminate with poison.
- 2 corrupt or harm.
– derivatives
poisoner noun.
poisoner noun.
– origin ME: from OFr. poison ‘magic potion’, from L. potio(n-) ‘potion’, rel. to potare ‘to drink’.
'poison' also found in these Oxford entries:
antidote
- arrowroot
- bane
- chemical
- curare
- cut
- detoxify
- drench
- envenom
- envenomate
- fang
- flypaper
- gas mask
- intoxicate
- ivy
- neurotoxin
- oak
- poison ivy
- poison oak
- poisonous
- poison pen letter
- poison pill
- punji stick
- ratsbane
- rodenticide
- simoom
- snakeroot
- sting
- stomach pump
- swift
- theriac
- toad
- toxic
- toxico-
- toxin
- treacle
- upas
- venom
- virulent
- virus
- warfarin
