toxin

noun

tox·​in ˈtäk-sən 

: a poisonous substance that is a specific product of the metabolic activities of a living organism and is usually very unstable, notably toxic when introduced into the tissues, and typically capable of inducing antibody formation

Did you know?

Toxins Are Often Found in Nature

Long before chemists started creating poisons from scratch, humans were employing natural toxins for killing weeds and insects. For centuries South American tribes have used the toxin curare, extracted from a native vine, to tip their arrows. The garden flower called wolfsbane or monkshood is the source of aconite, an extremely potent toxin. The common flower known as jimsonweed contains the deadly poison scopolamine. And the castor-oil plant yields the almost unbelievably poisonous toxin called ricin. Today we hear health advisers of all kinds talk about ridding the body of toxins; but they're usually pretty vague about which ones they mean, and most of these "toxins" wouldn't be called that by biologists.

Synonyms

• bane
• poison
• toxic
• venom

Examples of toxin in a Sentence

the toxin in scorpion venom

read a pamphlet on the toxin responsible for botulism, a food poisoning that can cause paralysis and even death in some cases

Recent Examples on the Web

For example, Rachel can’t eat what Celeste makes, supposedly because of the toxins, but after the sisters travel to a camp in the woods where her mother’s siblings live, and their Aunt Jean Gautreau cooks up a feast full of saturated fat, Rachel digs in with abandon. —Bethanne Patrick, Los Angeles Times, 30 Nov. 2023

Aerial photographs taken in the aftermath of the storm show the luminescent sheen of oil slicks and other toxins spreading across the city. —Jacob Carter, STAT, 10 Nov. 2023

The buildup of toxins in his body had left him comatose. —Joseph Goldstein, New York Times, 22 Nov. 2023

Toxicology analyses didn’t find any evidence of poisoning and the stomach contents didn’t show signs of toxins. —Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Nov. 2023

The plane can identify dangerous toxins, information that could have helped officials determine both possible health impacts to Houstonians from the disaster and the cleanup strategies to be used in recovering from the storm. —Jacob Carter, STAT, 10 Nov. 2023

While consuming or touching a poisonous creature can cause harm, you must be bitten or stung by a venomous one for its toxins to take effect. —Jake Parks, Discover Magazine, 7 Nov. 2023

The serum uses potent antioxidants to fortify the skin against these toxins and other aggressors (including but not limited to the moisturizing duo of glycerin and squalane, plus vitamins B, C, and E). —Adam Hurly, Robb Report, 12 Oct. 2023

Venomous creatures, on the other hand, actively deliver their toxins, usually through a bite or sting. —Jake Parks, Discover Magazine, 7 Nov. 2023

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Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary

First Known Use

1886, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing toxin

• botulinum toxin
• environmental toxin

• botulinum toxin
• environmental toxin

Kids Definition

toxin

noun

tox·​in ˈtäk-sən 

: a substance produced by a living organism (as a bacterium) that is very poisonous to other organisms and that usually causes antibody formation compare antitoxin

Etymology

derived from Latin tox- "poisonous" and English -in "chemical compound"; tox- from toxicum "poison," from Greek toxikon "arrow poison," from toxon "bow, arrow" — related to intoxicate, toxic see Word History at intoxicate

Medical Definition

toxin

noun

tox·​in ˈtäk-sən 

: a colloidal proteinaceous poisonous substance that is a specific product of the metabolic activities of a living organism and is usually very unstable, notably toxic when introduced into the tissues, and typically capable of inducing antibody formation