DDT

American  

abbreviation

Chemistry.

1. dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane: a potent synthetic insecticide, C 14 H 9 Cl 5 , initially developed in the 1940s to combat insect-borne human diseases and later found to be highly and adversely persistent in the environment: agricultural use now prohibited in many countries, including, since 1972, the United States.

---

DDT British  

noun

1. dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane; a colourless odourless substance used as an insecticide. It is toxic to animals and is known to accumulate in the tissues. It is now banned in the UK

---

DDT Scientific  

/ dē′dē-tē′ /

1. Short for dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane. A powerful insecticide that is also poisonous to humans and animals. It remains active in the environment for many years and has been banned in the United States for most uses since 1972 but is still in use in some countries in which malaria is endemic. Chemical formula: C ₁₄ H ₉ Cl ₅ .

---

DDT Cultural  

1. A colorless insecticide that kills on contact. It is poisonous to humans and animals when swallowed or absorbed through the skin. DDT is an abbreviation for d ichloro d iphenyl t richloroethane.

---

Discover More

Although DDT, when it was first invented, was considered a great advance in protecting crops from insect damage and in combating diseases spread by insects (such as malaria), discoveries led to its ban in many countries. Residue from DDT has been shown to remain in the ecosystem and the food chain long after its original use, causing harm and even death to animals considered harmless or useful to man.

Etymology

Origin of DDT

d(ichloro)d(iphenyl)t(richloroethane)

Example Sentences

Of course, today we know that high-dose exposures to DDT can cause all kinds of illness in humans, including vomiting and seizures.

From Slate • Feb. 21, 2026

Peregrine falcons, which were once nearly wiped out in Australia due to the use of pesticides in agriculture, have staged a recovery since the 1980s when DDT and other chemicals were banned.

From BBC • Nov. 7, 2025

The iconic American bird was almost wiped out in the 1960s due to the pesticide DDT, which poisoned the eagles and made their eggs weak and flimsy.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 28, 2024

Carson was the first to note the harmful effects of DDT on the environment and, she believed, humans.

From Slate • Sep. 29, 2024

Along with destroying breeding areas, adult mosquito populations were also attacked with the widespread use of the pesticide dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane, better known as DDT, much of it sprayed from planes.

From "An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793" by Jim Murphy

Related Words

• defoliant
• fungicide
• insecticide
• pesticide