arsenic

1 of 2

noun

ar·​se·​nic
ˈärs-nik,
ˈär-sə- How to pronounce arsenic (audio)
1
: a solid chemical element that is used especially in wood preservatives, alloys, and semiconductors and is extremely toxic in both pure and combined forms see Chemical Elements Table
2
: a poisonous trioxide As2O3 or As4O6 of arsenic used especially as an insecticide or weed killer

called also arsenic trioxide

arsenic

2 of 2

adjective

ar·​sen·​ic är-ˈse-nik How to pronounce arsenic (audio)
: of, relating to, or containing arsenic especially with a valence of five

Examples of arsenic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
According to the affidavit, James received the arsenic at his home on March 4, the day before Angela returned home from a visit to Utah. Christine Pelisek, Peoplemag, 13 Aug. 2023 The mechanisms by which arsenic causes cancer are complex and not yet fully understood. Cristina Andrade-Feraud, The Conversation, 5 June 2023 As at Oasis, the EPA has issued an emergency order to the owners of the park where Galvez lives after finding high levels of arsenic in the drinking water — the chemical occurs naturally in the region’s groundwater. Paloma Esquivel, Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2023 Consumer Reports recommends the FDA set a goal of no measurable amounts of cadmium, lead, or inorganic arsenic in children’s food. Bailey Schulz, USA TODAY, 1 July 2023 In Hopi communities, many people have tap water contaminated with toxic arsenic. Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 16 June 2023 People who live in areas with naturally high levels of arsenic in the soil and water are at particular risk. Cristina Andrade-Feraud, The Conversation, 5 June 2023 The origin of the arsenic remains unanswered, but in the 19th century the poison was used widely; it could be found in wallpaper, beauty products and even medicine. Samantha Baskind, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Apr. 2023 If sargassum isn’t cleaned from beaches or is used as fertilizer, the arsenic in its flesh could leach out into groundwater, which could be a health hazard for humans, Lapointe said. Jackie Wattles, CNN, 18 Mar. 2023
Adjective
Large-scale gold miners use centrifuge machines or arsenic, which does not seep into the environment. Jack Nicas Ian Cheibub, New York Times, 22 Sep. 2023 Depletion of the Lake has already exposed, and will continue to expose, lakebed sediments that consist of fine-scale dust containing arsenic, mercury, nickel, lead, and other pollutants toxic to humans. Leia Larsen, The Salt Lake Tribune, 6 Sep. 2023 This means future homes may have to spring for arsenic filters to ensure drinking water is safe for consumption. Darren Orf, Popular Mechanics, 1 Sep. 2023 As a result, the soil at the hospital and throughout the surrounding neighborhood is heavily contaminated with copper, cobalt, lead, zinc, and arsenic. Roger Peet, The New Republic, 30 Aug. 2023 The technology exists to filter out arsenic from drinking water, Dr. Smith said. Mira Rojanasakul, New York Times, 28 Aug. 2023 Toxic heavy metals in drinking water, such as arsenic, lead, and mercury, also pose huge health risks. IEEE Spectrum, 28 Aug. 2023 Some of the other items that can be found in floodwater include coal ash waste that can contain carcinogenic compounds such as arsenic, chromium and mercury; debris, lumber or vehicles; and wild or stray animals such as rodents and snakes. Timothy Bella, Washington Post, 21 Aug. 2023 The Hawaii State Department of Health was asking those who have been allowed to return to Lahaina to exercise caution due to toxic ash and chemicals such as asbestos, arsenic, lead and debris. Faris Tanyos, CBS News, 15 Aug. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'arsenic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English arsenek, arsenic "any of various compounds of arsenic, as yellow orpiment (arsenic trisulfide)," borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French arsenik, arsneke, borrowed from Latin arrhenicum, arsenicon, borrowed from Greek arsenikón, arrhenikón, probably borrowed from Aramaic zarnīḵ "arsenic" or a cognate Semitic word, borrowed from an unattested form in a Middle Iranian language (whence Persian zarnī, zarnīk "orpiment, arsenic"), a derivative of the word for "gold" (as Manichaean Parthian zrn /zarn/ "gold," zrnyn /zarnēn/ "golden"), alluding to the yellow color of orpiment

Note: The Greek word is assumed to have been reshaped by folk-etymological association with arsenikós, arrhenikós "male, masculine." Aramaic zarnīḵ is attested in a papyrus text (an order to repair a boat) dated January, 411 b.c., found in elephantine, Egypt (see A. Cowley, Aramaic Papyri of the Fifth Century B.C., Oxford, 1923, pp. 88-97; B. Porten, The Elephantine Papyri in English: Three Millennia of Cross-Cultural Continuity and Change, Brill, 1996, pp. 115-22); the word is also attested in Syriac a number of centuries later. The Manichaean Parthian forms are from D. Durkin-Meisterernst, Dictionary of Manichaean Texts, vol. III, Part 1, Dictionary of Manichaean Middle Persian and Parthian, Brepols, 2004. Parthian zrn and zrnyn are continuations of an Old Iranian etymon represented by Avestan zarańiia- "gold"—see note at gold entry 1.

Adjective

from attributive or compound use of arsenic entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1747, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1798, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of arsenic was in 1747

Dictionary Entries Near arsenic

Cite this Entry

“Arsenic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/arsenic. Accessed 1 Oct. 2023.

Kids Definition

arsenic

noun
ar·​se·​nic
ˈärs-nik,
-ᵊn-ik
1
: a solid poisonous element that is commonly metallic steel-gray and brittle see element
2
: a white or transparent extremely poisonous oxide of arsenic used especially in insecticides

Medical Definition

arsenic

1 of 2 noun
ar·​se·​nic ˈärs-nik, -ᵊn-ik How to pronounce arsenic (audio)
1
: a trivalent and pentavalent solid poisonous element that is commonly metallic steel-gray, crystalline, and brittle
symbol As
see Chemical Elements Table
2

arsenic

2 of 2 adjective
ar·​sen·​ic är-ˈsen-ik How to pronounce arsenic (audio)
: of, relating to, or containing arsenic especially with a valence of five

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