rotenone

noun ro·te·none \ ˈrō-tə-ˌnōn \

|Updated on: 15 Jul 2018

Definition of rotenone

: a crystalline insecticide C₂₃H₂₂O₆ obtained from the roots of several tropical plants (such as a derris) that is highly toxic to fish but is of low toxicity to warm-blooded animals and is used especially in home gardens

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Recent Examples of rotenone from the Web

Sikorsky harvested 12 fish, flew them to a private hatchery, and arranged to have the pond sterilized with rotenone, a pesticide dropped from, ironically, two Sikorsky Blackhawks contracted from the National Guard.

— brian irwin, BostonGlobe.com, "Turn-of-the-century sporting camp offers relaxation, fly fishing," 11 July 2018
Nymphs can be controlled with insecticidal soap, pyrethrum, rotenone or neem.

— ellen nibali, baltimoresun.com, "Garden Q&A: Black-eyed Susans with fungal leaf spot disease," 11 July 2017

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