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WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026poi•son•ing
(poi′zə ning),USA pronunciation n. [Pathol.]
- Pathologythe condition produced by a poison or by a toxic substance.
- late Middle English poisenynge. See poison, -ing1 1400–50
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026poi•son /ˈpɔɪzən/USA pronunciation
n.
- Drugsa substance that taken into the body can destroy life or cause illness: [uncountable]poison in his food.[countable]Several different poisons could have killed his dog.
- something harmful, as to happiness:[uncountable]Her mother-in-law was poison to her.
v. [~ + object]
- Pathologyto kill or injure with or as if with poison:She had been poisoned.
- to put poison into or upon:Some of those foods had been poisoned.
- to ruin or corrupt:Hatred had poisoned their minds.
adj. [usually: before a noun]
- containing poison:a poison shrub.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026poi•son
(poi′zən),USA pronunciation n.
- Drugsa substance with an inherent property that tends to destroy life or impair health.
- something harmful or pernicious, as to happiness or well-being:the poison of slander.
- Slang Termsany variety of alcoholic liquor:Name your poison!
v.t.
- to administer poison to (a person or animal).
- Pathologyto kill or injure with or as if with poison.
- to put poison into or upon;
saturate with poison:to poison food.
- to ruin, vitiate, or corrupt:Hatred had poisoned his mind.
- Chemistryto destroy or diminish the activity of (a catalyst or enzyme).
adj.
- causing poisoning;
poisonous:a poison shrub.
- Latin pōtiōn- (stem of pōtiō) drink, potion, poisonous draught
- Old French
- Middle English puisun 1200–50
1. Poison, toxin, venom are terms for any substance that injures the health or destroys life when absorbed into the system, esp. of a higher animal. Poison is the general word:a poison for insects.A toxin is a poison produced by an organism; it is esp. used in medicine in reference to disease-causing bacterial secretions:A toxin produces diphtheria.Venom is esp. used of the poisons secreted by certain animals, usually injected by bite or sting:the venom of a snake. 7. contaminate, pollute, taint.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
poison /ˈpɔɪzən/ n - any substance that can impair function, cause structural damage, or otherwise injure the body
- something that destroys, corrupts, etc
- a substance that retards a chemical reaction or destroys or inhibits the activity of a catalyst
- a substance that absorbs neutrons in a nuclear reactor and thus slows down the reaction. It may be added deliberately or formed during fission
vb (transitive)- to give poison to (a person or animal) esp with intent to kill
- to add poison to
- to taint or infect with or as if with poison
- (followed by against) to turn (a person's mind) against: he poisoned her mind against me
- to retard or stop (a chemical or nuclear reaction) by the action of a poison
Etymology: 13th Century: from Old French puison potion, from Latin pōtiō a drink, esp a poisonous one, from pōtāre to drinkˈpoisoner n
'poisoning' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
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