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Agent Orange

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Agent Orange

–noun
a powerful herbicide and defoliant containing trace amounts of dioxin, a toxic impurity suspected of causing serious health problems, including cancer and genetic damage, in some persons exposed to it and birth defects in their offspring: used by U.S. armed forces during the Vietnam War to defoliate jungles.

Origin:
1965–70; so called from the color of the identifying stripe on the drums in which it was stored
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
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A·gent Orange   (ā'jənt)   
n.  A herbicide containing trace amounts of the toxic contaminant dioxin that was used in the Vietnam War to defoliate areas of forest.

[From the orange identifying strip on drums in which it was stored.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

Agent Orange 
powerful defoliant used by U.S. military in the Vietnam War, c.1970, so called from the color strip on the side of the container, which distinguished it from Agent Blue, Agent Purple, Agent White, etc., other herbicides used by the U.S. military. Banned from April 1970.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: Agent Orange
Pronunciation: -'är-inj, -'är(-&)nj, -'or-inj, -'or(-&)nj
Function: noun
: an herbicide widely used as a defoliantin the Vietnam War that is composed of 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T and contains dioxin as a contaminant
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Agent Orange n.
A herbicide that contains trace amounts of the toxic contaminant dioxin, used in the Vietnam War to defoliate areas of forest.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Science Dictionary
Agent Orange  
A mixture of equal amounts of two herbicides known as 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T, and trace amounts of the toxic contaminant dioxin (a byproduct of the manufacture of 2,4,5-T). It was used in the Vietnam War to defoliate areas of forest.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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