dieldrin

American  

[deel-drin] / ˈdil drɪn /

noun

Chemistry.

1. a light tan, crystalline, water-insoluble, poisonous solid, C 12 H 8 OCl 6 , used as an insecticide: manufacture and use have been discontinued in the U.S.

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dieldrin British  

/ ˈdiːldrɪn /

noun

1. a crystalline insoluble substance, consisting of a chlorinated derivative of naphthalene: a contact insecticide the use of which is now restricted as it accumulates in the tissues of animals. Formula: C 12 H 8 OCl 6

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dieldrin Scientific  

/ dēl′drĭn /

1. A light tan, toxic, carcinogenic compound used as an insecticide on fruit, soil, and seed, and in controlling tsetse flies and other carriers of tropical diseases. Chemical formula: C ₁₂ H ₈ Cl ₆ O.

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Etymology

Origin of dieldrin

First recorded in 1945–50; Diel(s-Al)d(e)r (reaction) ( def. ) + -in ²

Example Sentences

As the malaria mosquitoes have become resistant to DDT, dieldrin has been substituted in malaria-control work, and, as this has happened, cases of poisoning have appeared among the spraymen.

From The New Yorker • Jan. 3, 2017

Although it is chemically rather closely related to dieldrin, a little twist in its molecular structure makes it up to twelve times as poisonous to rats; by comparison, DDT seems almost harmless.

From The New Yorker • Jan. 3, 2017

While the list of toxins found in the river decades later is still shocking - including PCB, dioxin and pesticides like DDT, dieldrin and toxaphene - the river has come back to life.

From Washington Times • May 21, 2016

The EPA cancelled the registrations of ethylene dibromide, 2,4,5-T, dieldrin, and parathion, Milbourn said.

From Scientific American • Oct. 6, 2014

After the devastating bath of dieldrin recently administered to the farmlands in eastern Illinois for the control of the Japanese beetle, farmers discovered that corn borers had increased enormously in the treated area.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson