toxicant

noun

tox·​i·​cant ˈtäk-si-kənt How to pronounce toxicant (audio)
: a toxic agent
especially : pesticide

Examples of toxicant in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Nicotine pouches are purportedly intended to help people stop smoking cigarettes, Irfan Rahman, PhD, who runs a lab that conducts research on toxicants at the University of Rochester Medicine, told Health. Maggie O'Neill, Health, 28 Nov. 2023 Children are particularly at risk to exposure from toxicants like styrene, said Timothy Nurkiewicz, director of West Virginia University’s Toxicology Working Group and Inhalation Facilities. USA TODAY, 11 June 2023 And despite abundant research, pharmaceutical controls—either contraceptives or poisons, what biologists call toxicants—are still a few years away. Maryn McKenna, WIRED, 21 Mar. 2023 What still isn’t known Our analysis of the CARB data on volatile toxicants does not paint a complete picture. Robin Dodson, Fortune Well, 2 May 2023 Advocacy groups studying the effects of the New York law say the new labels have revealed commonly found ingredients in menstrual products that may contain carcinogens, reproductive toxicants, endocrine disruptors, and allergens. Erica Zurek, CBS News, 27 Apr. 2023 As an example of the demand for such skills, consider the operations at any industrial factory, where waste products might contain toxicants. Tree Meinch, Discover Magazine, 11 Mar. 2023 These chemicals include carcinogens, mutagens, reproductive system and organ toxicants, and skin and respiratory irritants. Joel Tickner, Scientific American, 25 Feb. 2023 Because hot air from a fire rises, the flames from the train sent a black plume high into the air, potentially spreading toxicants far beyond the site of the derailment. WIRED, 18 Feb. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'toxicant.' 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

Medieval Latin toxicant-, toxicans, present participle of toxicare to poison, from Latin toxicum

First Known Use

1879, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of toxicant was in 1879

Dictionary Entries Near toxicant

Cite this Entry

“Toxicant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/toxicant. Accessed 11 Dec. 2023.

Medical Definition

toxicant

noun
tox·​i·​cant ˈtäk-si-kənt How to pronounce toxicant (audio)
: a toxic agent
especially : one for insect control that kills rather than repels

More from Merriam-Webster on toxicant

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