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
Consumption of lead and arsenic has also been shown to negatively impact neurological development. Ali Francis, Bon Appétit, 23 Jan. 2024 Depending on how stringent the evaluation criteria applied were, between 23 and 41 percent of the participants did not get a satisfactory result for the determination of total arsenic, and between 25 and 43 percent did not get a satisfactory result for the determination of inorganic arsenic. Julian Tyson, Discover Magazine, 7 May 2015 Advertisement The groundwater is tainted with toxic arsenic, so the project will also require building a facility to treat the water before sending it flowing back into the California Aqueduct. Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2023 It can also be detected in animal products treated with some veterinary drugs or shellfish, which aggregate arsenic from seawater. Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Oct. 2023 Preservation with borax and arsenic affected the intensity of fluorescence, increasing it in certain cases while dampening it in others. Cara Giaimo, New York Times, 20 Oct. 2023 Heavy metal poisoning occurs when microscopic molecules of metals — like lead, mercury and arsenic — accumulate within your body after exposure, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Symptoms of heavy metal poisoning include abdominal pain, chills, dehydration, feeling weak, and nausea or vomiting. Vanessa Etienne, Peoplemag, 15 Sep. 2023 White arsenic was a key ingredient for manufacturing boll weevil pesticides. San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Oct. 2023 Drying aquifers can also cause increased the level of cancer-causing arsenic, which is usually trapped inside clay but released into the water supply when met with dry conditions. Darren Orf, Popular Mechanics, 1 Sep. 2023
Adjective
Massive piles of mining waste around the rest of the 160-acre landscape enough to fill 250,000 dump trucks are contaminated with arsenic, mercury and other toxics. Paul Rogers, The Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2024 Previously, heavy metals and contaminants such as arsenic, mercury and chromium have been the major points of concern in coal ash. Sarah Bowman, The Indianapolis Star, 23 Feb. 2024 The issue: Do solar panels contain toxic materials such as arsenic, cadmium and gallium? Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, 4 Feb. 2024 Right now, those options are off the table because of heavy metals and arsenic levels in seaweed. Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 3 Jan. 2024 Orange County officials declared a local state of emergency Thursday night due to the danger posed by the air pollution from the fire, which besides asbestos, a carcinogen, was found to contain lead, arsenic, nickel and other heavy metals. Salvador Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 9 Nov. 2023 In general, as people drill deeper wells, the likelihood of arsenic contamination increases, according to Dr. Smith, now a professor at Colorado State University. Mira Rojanasakul, New York Times, 28 Aug. 2023 The creek’s sediment is laden with cancer-causing PCBs, arsenic, heavy metals and grease. Christine Condon, Baltimore Sun, 7 Feb. 2024 Researchers believe staying away from secondhand smoke, air pollution, radon, and other cancer-causing agents (asbestos, arsenic, diesel exhaust) can help reduce nonsmokers’ risk of lung cancer. Korin Miller, Health, 18 Dec. 2023

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 28 Mar. 2024.

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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