nerve gas

American  

noun

1. 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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nerve gas British  

noun

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

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nerve gas Scientific  

1. 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.

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Etymology

Origin of nerve gas

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

nerve gas

They showed they could dye a military uniform black with the melanin, and that it would absorb the nerve gas.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 2, 2023

Mr. Krepon wrote that one of his best moments on the Hill was helping persuade Hicks in 1974 to block the Army from spending funds on a new generation of nerve gas weapons.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 19, 2022

Glan Rhonwy slate quarry, which is about the size of two football pitches, was used as a secret munitions store during World War Two and it used to store captured German nerve gas.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2021

Chlorpyrifos is part of a class of chemicals developed as a nerve gas by Nazi Germany during World War II, but it was approved as a pesticide in the United States in 1965.

From Salon ● Sep. 25, 2020

Findings published January 2 in Science Translational Medicine describe a nanoscavenger that disables both pesticide and nerve gas OP compounds, and persists much longer than other candidates while evading by “stealth” the recipient’s immune system.

From Scientific American ● Jan. 8, 2019

Related Words

• mustard gas
• poison gas
• tear gas