strychnine
Use Strychnine in a sentence
nɪn, -nin, -naɪn noun
1.
Pharmacology. a colorless, crystalline poison, C 2 1 H 2 2 N 2 O 2 , obtained chiefly by extraction from the seeds of nux vomica, formerly used as a central nervous system stimulant.
2.
an Indian tree, Strychnos nux-vomica, of the logania family, having small, yellowish-white flowers in clusters, berrylike fruit, and seeds that yield strychnine.
Origin:
1810–20; < French, equivalent to Neo-Latin Strychn(os) genus name (< Greek strýchnos a kind of nightshade) + French -ine -ine2
1810–20; < French, equivalent to Neo-Latin Strychn(os) genus name (< Greek strýchnos a kind of nightshade) + French -ine -ine2
Related forms
strych·nic, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To strychnine
00:10
Strychnine
is always a great word to know.
So is slumgullion. Does it mean:
| a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc. |
| a fool or simpleton; ninny. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
strychnine (ˈstrɪkniːn) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| a white crystalline very poisonous alkaloid, obtained from the plant nux vomica: formerly used in small quantities as a stimulant of the central nervous system and the appetite. Formula: C21H22O2N2 | |
| [C19: via French from New Latin Strychnos, from Greek strukhnos nightshade] | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
strychnine
1819, from Fr. strychnine, from Mod.L. Strychnos, the genus name of the plant (nux vomica) from which the poison is obtained, from Gk. strychnon, a kind of nightshade, of uncertain origin.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary
strychnine strych·nine (strĭk'nīn', -nĭn, -nēn')
n.
An extremely poisonous white crystalline alkaloid used as a poison for rodents and formerly used topically as a central nervous system stimulant.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
| strychnine (strĭk'nīn') Pronunciation Key
An extremely poisonous, white crystalline compound derived from the seeds of the nux vomica tree. Strychnine is an alkaloid and was formerly used in medicine to stimulate the nervous system. It is currently used as a rat poison. Chemical formula: C21H22O2N2. |
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Example sentences
Toxic compounds, such as strychnine and other common plant alkaloids, often have a strong bitter taste.
Macaws eat seeds containing alkaloids, a group of chemicals that has some notoriously toxic members, such as strychnine.
Around the corner sits the dispensary where she first encountered an array of lethal poisons, including arsenic and strychnine.
While brucine is related to strychnine, it is not as poisonous.
Image for strychnine
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