toxic definition | Dictionary.com

tox⋅ic

[tok-sik]

–adjective

1.	of, pertaining to, affected with, or caused by a toxin or poison: a toxic condition.

2.	acting as or having the effect of a poison; poisonous: a toxic drug.

–noun

3.	a toxic chemical or other substance.

Origin:
1655–65; < LL toxicus poisonous, adj. deriv. of L toxicum poison < Gk toxikón (orig. short for toxikòn phármakon lit., bow poison, i.e., poison used on arrows), equiv. to tóx(on) bow + -ikon, neut. of -ikos -ic

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

tox·ic (tŏk'sĭk) Pronunciation Key
adj.

Of, relating to, or caused by a toxin or other poison: a toxic condition; toxic hepatitis.
Capable of causing injury or death, especially by chemical means; poisonous: food preservatives that are toxic in concentrated amounts; a dump for toxic industrial wastes. See Synonyms at poisonous.

n. A toxic chemical or other substance.

[Late Latin toxicus, from Latin toxicum, poison, from Greek toxikon, poison for arrows, poison, from neuter of toxikos, of a bow, from toxon, bow, from Old Persian *taxša-, an arrow.]
tox'i·cal·ly adv.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
toxic

1664, from Fr. toxique, from L.L. toxicus "poisoned," from L. toxicum "poison," from Gk. toxikon (pharmakon) "(poison) for use on arrows," from toxikon, neut. of toxikos "pertaining to arrows or archery," and thus to a bow, from toxon "bow," probably from a Scythain word that also was borrowed into L. as taxus "yew."

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

toxic
adjective
of or relating to or caused by a toxin or poison; "suffering from exposure to toxic substances" [ant: atoxic]

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
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The American Heritage Science Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

toxic (tŏk'sĭk) Pronunciation Key

Relating to or caused by a toxin.
Capable of causing injury or death, especially by chemical means; poisonous.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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American Heritage Stedman's Medical Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

toxic tox·ic (tŏk'sĭk)
adj.

Of, relating to, or caused by a toxin or other poison.
Capable of causing injury or death, especially by chemical means; poisonous.

n.
A toxic chemical or other substance.

Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Main Entry: ¹tox·ic
Pronunciation: 'täk-sik
Function: adjective
1 : of, relating to, or caused by a poison or toxin toxic effect>
2 a : affected by a poison or toxin b : affected with toxemia of pregnancy <toxic pregnant women>
3 : POISONOUS <toxic drugs>

Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Main Entry: ²toxic
Function: noun
: a toxic substance

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Toxic

Tox"ic\, Toxical \Tox"ic*al\, a. [L. toxicum poison, originally, a poison in which arrows were dipped, Gr. toxiko`n (sc. ?) poison for smearing arrows with, fr. toxiko`s of or for the bow, from to`xon bow, arrow. Cf. Intoxicate.] Of or pertaining to poison; poisonous; as, toxic medicines.

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