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nerve gas

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noun
any of several poison gases, derived chiefly from phosphoric acid, that weaken or paralyze the nervous system, especially that part of the system controlling respiration.
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Origin of nerve gas

First recorded in 1935–40
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use nerve gas in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for nerve gas

nerve gas

noun
(esp in chemical warfare) any of various poisonous gases that have a potentially fatal paralysing effect on the central nervous system
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

Scientific definitions for nerve gas

nerve gas

Any of various poisonous gases that interfere with the functioning of nerves by inhibiting the breakdown of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Increased levels of acetylcholine stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, leading to cardiac and respiratory arrest.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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