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

Example Sentences

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

Adults are also vulnerable to the toxin. —Jenifer Frank, Hartford Courant, 23 Dec. 2022

In a viral Facebook post on Halloween, the agency warned that the Sonoran Desert toad has prominent parotoid glands that secrete a potent toxin: So don’t touch, let alone lick. —Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 10 Nov. 2022

Foodborne illnesses analyzed included microbial contamination as well as Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, salmonella, and campylobacter. —Rebecca Jaspan, Mph, Rd, Cdn, Cdces, Health, 6 Apr. 2023

Aguirre's claim not covered under 2021 change in law Under state law, firefighters can receive workers' compensation for cancers that are thought to be related to the toxins that firefighters are exposed to on a regular basis. —Alexandra Hardle, The Arizona Republic, 5 Apr. 2023

The tests came back negative for the narcotics and chemicals, ruling out antifreeze as the toxin. —Abigail Pesta, Rolling Stone, 29 Mar. 2023

The gap between statements from the EPA and data shared with the public has been a source of frustration for some East Palestine residents as the agency tries to both gain community trust and reassure residents concerned about the potent toxins. —Evan Bush, NBC News, 28 Mar. 2023

The roaches had evolved a distaste for the sugar glucose and thus avoided ingesting the toxins all together. —Byelizabeth Pennisi, science.org, 28 Mar. 2023

Soil and other permeable surfaces act as natural filters for toxins and allow stormwater to seep into the ground, replenishing the basins that form the foundation of local water supplies. —Hayley Smithstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 21 Feb. 2023

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Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary

First Known Use

1886, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing toxin

• environmental toxin
• botulinum toxin

• environmental toxin
• botulinum 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