nic·o·tine

[nik-uh-teen, -tin, nik-uh-teen]
noun Chemistry.
a colorless, oily, water-soluble, highly toxic, liquid alkaloid, C 1 0 H 1 4 N 2 , found in tobacco and valued as an insecticide.

Origin:
1810–20; < French; see nicotiana, -ine2

nic·o·tined, adjective
nic·o·tine·less, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
nicotine (ˈnɪkəˌtiːn) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
a colourless oily acrid toxic liquid that turns yellowish-brown in air and light: the principal alkaloid in tobacco, used as an agricultural insecticide. Formula: C10H14N2
 
[C19: from French, from New Latin herba nicotiana Nicot's plant, named after J. Nicot (1530--1600), French diplomat who introduced tobacco into France]
 
'nicotined
 
adj
 
nicotinic
 
adj

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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00:10
Nicotine is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

nicotine
"poisonous alkaloid found in tobacco leaves," 1819, from Fr. nicotine, from Mod.L. Nicotiana, formal botanical name for the tobacco plant, named for Jean Nicot (c.1530-1600), Fr. ambassador to Portugal, who sent tobacco seeds and powdered leaves back to France 1561. His name is a dim. of Nicolas.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

nicotine nic·o·tine (nĭk'ə-tēn')
n.
A colorless, poisonous alkaloid derived from the tobacco plant and used as an insecticide. It is the substance in tobacco to which smokers can become addicted.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
nicotine   (nĭk'ə-tēn')  Pronunciation Key 
A colorless, poisonous compound occurring naturally in the tobacco plant. It is used in medicine and as an insecticide, and it is the substance in tobacco products to which smokers can become addicted. Nicotine is an alkaloid. Chemical formula: C10H14N2.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary
nicotine [(nik-uh-teen)]

A poisonous chemical substance found in the tobacco plant.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Example sentences
Those genes code for nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, cell-surface proteins
  that selectively bind to nicotine molecules.
With the exception of heroin, drugs contribute to far fewer deaths among their
  users than either nicotine or alcohol.
Nicotine blood levels in a smoker, for example, rise almost immediately after
  inhalation.
All that sugar, caffeine, and nicotine pulsing through his body-plus a second
  latte and a large fruit smoothie.
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