nicotine

[ nik-uh-teen, -tin, nik-uh-teen ]

noun

, Chemistry.

1. a colorless, oily, water-soluble, highly toxic, liquid alkaloid, C 1 0 H 1 4 N 2 , found in tobacco and valued as an insecticide.

nicotine

/ ˈnɪkəˌtiːn; ˌnɪkəˈtɪnɪk /

noun

1. a colourless oily acrid toxic liquid that turns yellowish-brown in air and light: the principal alkaloid in tobacco, used as an agricultural insecticide. Formula: C 10 H 14 N 2

nicotine

/ nĭk′ə-tēn′ /

1. A colorless, poisonous compound occurring naturally in the tobacco plant. It is used in medicine and as an insecticide, and it is the substance in tobacco products to which smokers can become addicted. Nicotine is an alkaloid. Chemical formula: C 10 H 14 N 2 .

nicotine

1. A poisonous chemical substance found in the tobacco plant.

Derived Forms

• nicotinic, adjective
• ˈnicoˌtined, adjective

Other Words From

• nico·tined adjective
• nico·tineless adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of nicotine¹

From French, dating back to 1810–20; nicotiana, -ine ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of nicotine¹

C19: from French, from New Latin herba nicotiana Nicot's plant, named after J. Nicot (1530–1600), French diplomat who introduced tobacco into France

Example Sentences

While e-cigarettes come in many forms, they typically include a tiny battery and a cartridge of liquid nicotine.

From Washington Post

E-cigarettes deliver nicotine but are generally considered less dangerous than traditional cigarettes, making them a potentially useful tool for adults trying to stop smoking.

From Time

These give them a smaller dose of nicotine that might help make quitting for good a little easier.

From Science News For Students

They claim Juul purposely designed its stylish, flash-drive-like devices and flavored nicotine e-liquids to appeal to teenagers.

From Time

From surviving to thriving as a hardware startupThe other challenge is how to lower nicotine content.

From TechCrunch

Ground glass is put in food to cause internal bleeding, and nicotine concentrated by boiling can cause a heart attack.

From The Daily Beast

All of the employees were constantly blowing out steam, some of it without even nicotine in it, let alone THC.

From The Daily Beast

A man named Herbert Gilbert patented one back in 1963 that heated a nicotine solution and produced steam.

From The Daily Beast

If you plan to take in vapor in such amounts, you have to get juice with a low nicotine content to avoid poisoning yourself.

From The Daily Beast

Some get juice without nicotine at all, just to enjoy the process esthetically.

From The Daily Beast

The tobacco plant, as is well known, produces a virulent poison known as Nicotine.

From Project Gutenberg

Chemistry has taught us that nicotine is only one among many principles which are contained in the plant.

From Project Gutenberg

Now, the strength of tobacco comes from its nicotine, and if the specimens I sent contain no nicotine, whence the strength?

From Project Gutenberg

I perceive that the amount of nicotine in a great measure depends on the extent to which the leaf is allowed to ripen.

From Project Gutenberg

It is a dark maroon-colored leaf, and contains a large proportion of the nicotine oil.

From Project Gutenberg