English Explanatory Dictionary

poison

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A substance that is harmful or lethal to a living organism when ingested.
  2. Anything harmful to a person or thing.
  3. An alcoholic drink. (Mainly in the phrases "name your poison" and "what's your poison?")
  4. Any substance that inhibits catalytic activity.
verb
  1. To use poison to kill or paralyse (somebody).
  2. To pollute; to cause to become poisonous.
  3. To cause to become much worse.
  4. To cause (someone) to hate or to have unfair negative opinions.
  5. To inhibit the catalytic activity of.
  6. To place false or malicious data into (a cache, etc.) as part of an exploit.

Pronunciation

/ˈpɔɪ.zən/ /ˈpoɪ.zən/ en-us-poison.ogg

Word forms

poison poisons poisoning poisoned

Etymology

From Middle English poysoun, poyson, pusoun, from Old French poison, poisun, from Latin pōtiōnem (“drink, a draught, a poisonous draught, a potion”), from pōtō (“to drink”). See also potion and potable (from the same root). Mostly displaced native Old English ātor. See more at atter.

Synonyms

atter bane contaminant pollutant toxin contaminate pollute taint corrupt

Derived words

antipoison arrow poison arrow-poison frog berry poison box poison bullock poison bushman poison bushman's poison Champion Bay poison Circean poison cluster poison counterpoison crinkle-leaved poison crow poison dew poison Durban poison eastern poison ivy empoison fish poison tree Gilbernine poison granite poison heart-leaved poison Hill River poison Hook Point poison horned poison Hottentot's poison bush Hutt River poison impoison kite-leaved poison mallet poison Mount Ragged poison Myers' poison frog name one's poison narrow-leaved poison net-leaved poison neutron poison nuclear poison one man's fish is another man's poison one man's meat is another man's poison Phillips River poison pick your poison poison arrow poison arrow frog poison ash poison at the box office poisonberry poison book Poison Cross poison dart frog poison dart plant poison dogwood poisoner poisonful poison gas poison gland poison hemlock poisoning poison-ivy poison ivy poisonless

Translations

Catalan: verí Catalan: metzina Czech: jed Greek: δηλητήριο Greek: ποτό Middle English: poysoun Norwegian: gift Sanskrit: विष Scottish Gaelic: nimh Turkish: zıkkım Turkish: ağı Slovak: jed
This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.
Back to search All on P Russian dictionary Dahl dictionary