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poison

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The definition of a poison is a substance that destroys, makes sick or kills, or anything that is harmful to happiness.

(noun)

An example of a poison is cyanide.
An example of a poison is a negative attitude that destroys a positive environment.

Poison is defined as to give or put in a substance that destroys, makes sick or kills, or to corrupt a mind.

(verb)

An example of poison is to pour lethal drugs into food.
An example of poison is to tell a child that they will never amount to anything; to poison the child's mind.

See poison in Webster's New World College Dictionary

noun

a substance causing illness or death when eaten, drunk, or absorbed even in relatively small quantities
anything harmful or destructive to happiness or welfare, such as an idea, emotion, etc.
in a nuclear reactor, a substance, as boron, that readily absorbs thermal neutrons from a chain reaction, thereby decreasing the reactivity of a reactor core: it is used for safety or control
Chem. a substance that inhibits or destroys the activity of a catalyst, enzyme, etc. or that interferes with or checks a reaction

Origin: OFr < L potio, potion

transitive verb

to give poison to; harm or destroy by means of poison
to put poison on or into
to influence wrongfully; corrupt: to poison someone's mind

adjective

poisonous or poisoned

Related Forms:

poisoner noun

See poison in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun

A substance that causes injury, illness, or death, especially by chemical means.
Something destructive or fatal.
Chemistry & Physics A substance that inhibits another substance or a reaction: a catalyst poison.

transitive verb poi·soned, poi·son·ing, poi·sons

To kill or harm with poison.
To put poison on or into: poisoning arrows; poisoned the drink.
a. To pollute: Noxious fumes poison the air. See Synonyms at contaminate.
b. To have a harmful influence on; corrupt: Jealousy poisoned their friendship.
Chemistry & Physics To inhibit (a substance or reaction).

adjective

Poisonous.

Origin:

Origin: Middle English

Origin: , from Old French

Origin: , from Latin pōtiō, pōtiōn-, drink; see pō(i)- in Indo-European roots

Related Forms:

poiˈson·er noun

Word History: The phrase poison potion, besides being alliterative, also consists of doublets, that is, two words that go back ultimately to the same source in another language. The source for both words is Latin pōtiō (stem form pōtiōn-), which meant “the act of drinking, a drink, or a draft, as of a medicine or poison.” Our word potion, which retains the sense “dose,” passed through Old French (pocion) on its way to Middle English (pocion), first recorded in a work composed around 1300. In Old French pocion is a learned borrowing, one that was deliberately taken from Latin in a form corresponding to the Latin form. Our spelling potion is the result of a similar impulse toward Latinization; in the late Renaissance and Enlightenment, numerous English words that had been borrowed from Old French were respelled according to the shape of their Latin ancestors. Pocion thus was changed to potion on the model of Latin pōtiō. But the Latin word had also passed through Vulgar Latin into Old French in the different form poison. This word meant “beverage,” “liquid dose,” and also “poison beverage, poison.” The word poison is first recorded in Middle English in a work composed around 1200.

See poison in Ologies

Poison