poison

poi·son (poi

1. A substance that causes injury, illness, or death, especially by chemical means.

2. Something destructive or fatal.

3. Chemistry & Physics A substance that inhibits another substance or a reaction: a catalyst poison.

tr.v. poi·soned, poi·son·ing, poi·sons

1. To kill or harm with poison.

2. To put poison on or into: poisoning arrows; poisoned the drink.

a. To pollute: Noxious fumes poison the air. See Synonyms at contaminate.

b. To have a harmful influence on; corrupt: Jealousy poisoned their friendship.

4. Chemistry & Physics To inhibit (a substance or reaction).

adj.

Poisonous.

[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin pti, ptin-, drink; see p(i)- in Indo-European roots.]

poison·er n.

Word History: The phrase poison potion, besides being alliterative, also consists of doublets, that is, two words that go back ultimately to the same source in another language. The source for both words is Latin pti (stem form ptin-), which meant "the act of drinking, a drink, or a draft, as of a medicine or poison." Our word potion, which retains the sense "dose," passed through Old French (pocion) on its way to Middle English (pocion), first recorded in a work composed around 1300. In Old French pocion is a learned borrowing, one that was deliberately taken from Latin in a form corresponding to the Latin form. Our spelling potion is the result of a similar impulse toward Latinization; in the late Renaissance and Enlightenment, numerous English words that had been borrowed from Old French were respelled according to the shape of their Latin ancestors. Pocion thus was changed to potion on the model of Latin pti. But the Latin word had also passed through Vulgar Latin into Old French in the different form poison. This word meant "beverage," "liquid dose," and also "poison beverage, poison." The word poison is first recorded in Middle English in a work composed around 1200.

poison

Noun

1. a substance that causes death or injury when swallowed or absorbed

2. something that destroys or corrupts: the poison of Nazism

Verb

1. to give poison to someone

2. to add poison to something

3. to have a harmful or evil effect on

4. (foll. by against)to turn (a person's mind) against: he poisoned her mind against me [Latin potio a drink, esp. a poisonous one]

poisoner n

Poison

See also death; drugs; killing.

alexipharmac, alexipharmic

a remedy for or antidote against poison or infection. — alexipharmic, adj.

atropism

poisoning caused by atropine or belladonna.

barbiturism

a condition of chronic poisoning caused by excessive use of barbiturates.

botulism

a disease of the nervous system caused by botulin developments in spoiled foods eaten by animals and man; a variety of bacterial food poisoning.

cantharidism

a toxic condition caused by the misuse of the counterirritant and diuretic cantharides.

enriositatis

drunkenness or intoxication from alcohol, especially as an habitual state.

enterotoxemia

a condition in which the blood contains toxin from the intestines.

ergotism

a condition caused by eating rye or some other grain infected with ergot fungus or by an overdose of an ergot medicinal agent.

iophobia

an abnormal fear of poisons. Cf. toxiphobia.

mephitism

mephitic or carbon dioxide poisoning. — mephitic, mephitical, adj.

mithridatism

the production of immunity against the action of a poison by consuming it regularly in gradually larger doses.

mycetism

any of a variety of toxic conditions produced by poisonous mush-rooms. Also mycetismus.

phosphorism

chronic phosphorus poisoning.

plumbism

an acute toxic condition caused by the absorption of lead into the body by skin contact, ingestion, or inhalation; lead poisoning. Also called saturnism.

plutonism

a poisoning caused by exposure to radioactive plutonium.

ptyalism

excessive salivation, usually associated with chronic mercury poisoning.

rodenticide

a substance that kills rodents.

salicylism

a toxic condition produced by excessive intake of salicylic acid, marked by vomiting and ringing in the ears.

salmonellosis

an illness caused by food tainted with certain species of salmonella bacteria.

sapremia, sapraemia

blood poisoning caused by putrefactive microorganisms in the bloodstream.

saturnism

plumbism.

septicemia, septicaemia

blood poisoning caused by pathogenic microorganisms and their toxic products in the bloodstream. — septicemic, septicaemic, adj.

stibialism

poisoning from antimony.

strychnism

a toxic condition caused by excessive use of strychnine.

tabacism

addiction to tobacco; poisoning from excessive use of tobacco. Also called tabagism, tobaccoism.

thebaism

Archaic. a toxic condition produced by thebaine, a derivative of opium.

toxicology

the branch of medical science that studies the effects, antidotes, detection, etc., of poisons. — toxicologist, n. — toxicologie, toxicological, adj.

toxiphobia

an abnormal fear of poisoning. Also called toxicophobia. Cf. iophobia. — toxiphobe, toxiphobiac, n.

tyrotoxism

poisoning caused by microbes in stale cheese or milk.

urotoxy, urotoxia

1. the toxicity or toxic content of urine.
2. the unit used in measuring the toxicity of urine, a quantity sufficient to kill an animal weighing one kilogram. — urotoxic, adj.

ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms

Noun	1.	poison - any substance that causes injury or illness or death of a living organism poisonous substance, toxicant substance - a particular kind or species of matter with uniform properties; "shigella is one of the most toxic substances known to man" atropine - a poisonous crystalline alkaloid extracted from the nightshade family; used as an antispasmodic and to dilate the eye pupil; also administered in large amounts as an antidote for organophosphate nerve agents or organophosphate insecticides hyoscyamine - a poisonous crystalline alkaloid (isometric with atropine but more potent); used to treat excess motility of the gastrointestinal tract toxin - a poisonous substance produced during the metabolism and growth of certain microorganisms and some higher plant and animal species
	2.	poison - anything that harms or destroys; "the poison of fascism" destructiveness - the quality of causing destruction
Verb	1.	poison - spoil as if by poison; "poison someone's mind"; "poison the atmosphere in the office" corrupt, debase, debauch, demoralise, demoralize, deprave, misdirect, pervert, profane, vitiate, subvert - corrupt morally or by intemperance or sensuality; "debauch the young people with wine and women"; "Socrates was accused of corrupting young men"; "Do school counselors subvert young children?"; "corrupt the morals"
	2.	poison - kill with poison; "She poisoned her husband" poison - kill by its poison; "This mushrooms can poison" kill - cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly; "This man killed several people when he tried to rob a bank"; "The farmer killed a pig for the holidays"
	3.	poison - add poison to; "Her husband poisoned her drink in order to kill her" envenom alter, change, modify - cause to change; make different; cause a transformation; "The advent of the automobile may have altered the growth pattern of the city"; "The discussion has changed my thinking about the issue"
	4.	poison - kill by its poison; "This mushrooms can poison" poison - administer poison to; "She poisoned her husband but he did not die" poison - kill with poison; "She poisoned her husband" kill - cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly; "This man killed several people when he tried to rob a bank"; "The farmer killed a pig for the holidays"
	5.	poison - administer poison to; "She poisoned her husband but he did not die" drug, dose - administer a drug to; "They drugged the kidnapped tourist" intoxicate - have an intoxicating effect on, of a drug poison - kill by its poison; "This mushrooms can poison"