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ricin

American

[rahy-sin, ris-in] / ˈraɪ sɪn, ˈrɪs ɪn /

noun

Chemistry.

a white, poisonous, protein powder from the bean of the castor-oil plant.

ricin British

/ ˈraɪsɪn, ˈrɪs- /

noun

biochem a highly toxic protein, a lectin, derived from castor-oil seeds: used in experimental cancer therapy

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

ricin Scientific

/ rī′sĭn,rĭs′ĭn /

An extremely poisonous protein extracted from the castor bean. Ricin inhibits protein synthesis in cells, and is used as a biochemical reagent and in cancer research.

Etymology

Origin of ricin

1895–1900; < New Latin Ricinus name of genus, Latin: castor-oil plant

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

ricin

Tests at Porton Down, the government's biological warfare laboratory, confirmed the substance was ricin, a poison for which there is no antidote.

From BBC ● Jan. 24, 2025

Castor plants are banned in the U.S. because they also produce ricin, a dangerous poison.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 30, 2024

Arsenic, ricin and the toxin responsible for botulism are also 100% natural, but can be highly toxic to humans.

From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2023

But it was unlikely that the chalk used to etch a polite message of protest outside her Bangor home on Saturday—urging her to vote for the Women’s Health Protection Act—was tainted with ricin.

From Slate ● May 14, 2022

That day The chemical analysis was finished, showed No ricin and no poison.

From Domesday Book by Edgar Lee Masters

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023