neurotoxin

noun

neu·​ro·​tox·​in ˌnu̇r-ō-ˈtäk-sən 

ˌnyu̇r-

: a poisonous substance (such as tetrodotoxin or saxitoxin) that acts on the nervous system and disrupts the normal function of nerve cells

Did you know?

The nervous system is almost all-powerful in the body: all five senses depend on it, as do breathing, digestion, and the heart. So it's an obvious target for poisons, and neurotoxins have developed as weapons in many animals, including snakes, bees, and spiders. Some wasps use a neurotoxin to paralyze their prey so that it can be stored alive to be eaten later. Snake venom is often neurotoxic (as in cobras and coral snakes, for example), though it may instead be hemotoxic (as in rattlesnakes and coppermouths), operating on the circulatory system. Artificial neurotoxins, called nerve agents, have been developed by scientists as means of chemical warfare; luckily, few have ever been used.

Examples of neurotoxin in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Climate & Environment Outbreak of neurotoxin killing unprecedented number of sea lions along California coast Aug. 11, 2024 The early seeds of Owens Viani’s work on the issue began around 2011, when a neighbor ran over to tell her that Cooper’s hawk fledglings had drowned in his kiddie pool. —Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2024

The idea of a future in which it was simply assumed that adult women with disposable incomes would regularly inject neurotoxins and gel-like substances into their faces still gave off the shimmer of the novel and surreal. —Jia Tolentino, The New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2024

Climate & Environment Outbreak of neurotoxin killing unprecedented number of sea lions along California coast Aug. 11, 2024 If the bill becomes a law, California would join Washington as the second state to prohibit octopus farming. —Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2024

Climate and environment An outbreak of a neurotoxin is killing an unprecedented number of sea lions along California’s coast. —Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 12 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French névrotoxine, from névro- neuro- + toxine toxin

First Known Use

1902, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

neurotoxin

noun

neu·​ro·​tox·​in -ˈtäk-sən 

: a poisonous substance (such as tetrodotoxin or saxitoxin) that acts on the nervous system and disrupts the normal function of nerve cells