nicotine

noun nic·o·tine \ ˈni-kə-ˌtēn \

|Updated on: 2 Jul 2018

Definition of nicotine

: a poisonous alkaloid C₁₀H₁₄N₂ that is the chief active principle of tobacco and is used as an insecticide

See nicotine defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of nicotine from the Web

But vaping–using a handheld vaporizer that draws on liquid typically packed with nicotine–is up, which raises new issues.

— jamie ducharme, Time, "Vaping Is the New Smoking. Is That a Good Thing?," 21 June 2018
Faye has problems of her own: a distant son, medical bills, and itches for gambling and nicotine.

— julia m. klein, Philly.com, "'Skeleton Crew' at People's Light: Human relations in the workplace during the great recession," 18 June 2018
An officer stopped a 16-year-old who was urinating in bushes on the 900 block of Madison Street at 6:38 p.m. June 13, and found the boy had a nicotine vape pen and a vape pen containing marijuana oil.

— kimberly fornek, chicagotribune.com, "Police blotter: Bolingbrook driver with broken axle charged with DUI in Darien," 15 June 2018
The pods that users plug into the device, with the nicotine liquid, come in flavors like mango and berry.

— CBS News, "Teens are hooked on Juul, but a top exec insists that was never the company's intention," 14 June 2018
Before the Metropolitan Transportation Authority started a two-year, nearly $200 million renovation of Grand Central in 1996, the entire ceiling had this unwanted finish, which came mostly from cigarette tar and nicotine.

— keith williams, New York Times, "What Is That Spot on the Ceiling of Grand Central Terminal?," 7 June 2018
Advertisements reviewed by The Chronicle offer specifics about Juul’s vaping device, stating that the product contains an addictive chemical, nicotine.

— natasha mascarenhas, San Francisco Chronicle, "Juul warns teens and parents: ‘If you don’t smoke or vape, don’t start’," 6 June 2018
Mylan falls after generic prices hurt profit, Novo Nordisk is poised to revive growth with new diabetes medicine and other countries mull nicotine cuts in the new movement against smoking.

— Bloomberg.com, "Bay State Biotech Report: Mylan and Novo Nordisk," 9 Aug. 2017
The iffy bullpen has turned late innings into boom times for family cuss jars and stores that sell nicotine patches.

— San Antonio Express-News, "Whitley picks up where he left off," 8 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'nicotine.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of nicotine

French, from New Latin nicotiana

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1817

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NICOTINE Defined for English Language Learners

nicotine

noun

Definition of nicotine for English Language Learners

: a poisonous substance in tobacco that makes it difficult for people to stop smoking cigarettes

NICOTINE Defined for Kids

nicotine

noun nic·o·tine \ ˈni-kə-ˌtēn \

Definition of nicotine for Students

: a poisonous substance found in small amounts in tobacco

Medical Dictionary

nicotine

noun nic·o·tine \ ˈnik-ə-ˌtēn \

medical Definition of nicotine

: a poisonous alkaloid C₁₀H₁₄N₂ that is the chief active principle of tobacco and that is used as an insecticide and is sometimes used in smoking cessation aids

Note: Trademarks for nicotine include Nicoderm, Nicorette, and Nicotrol.

Biographical Note for nicotine

Nicot play \nē-kō\, Jean (1530?–1600), French diplomat. While French ambassador to Portugal, Nicot introduced tobacco to France by sending tobacco seeds as a gift to the French court in 1560. Linnaeus named the plant genus Nicotiana in his honor in 1753.