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.

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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

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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 .

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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.

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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

Curiously, DDT did not kill the birds outright, but rather caused their eggshells to collapse under the weight of the incubating adults.

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

In Texas, a white foreman stopped Alvarado and his group from picking in cotton fields just before a plane covered the crop with DDT.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 10, 2025

Their population rebounded from the brink of extinction thanks to the banning of DDT in 1972 and successful campaigns to protect their habitat and encourage their reproduction.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 28, 2024

As resistance developed, however, they could be found at rest on surfaces where the deposit of DDT beneath them was clearly visible by torchlight.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

Related Words

• defoliant
• fungicide
• insecticide
• pesticide