nicotine
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of nicotine
From French, dating back to 1810–20; see origin at nicotiana, -ine 2
Explanation
Nicotine is a drug that's present in tobacco. People who are addicted to cigarettes are really hooked on nicotine. Nicotine is most commonly known for occurring in tobacco, and therefore in cigarettes. In small amounts, nicotine is a stimulant, although in larger quantities it's considered a poison and is even used in many insecticides. The earliest French root of the word was nicotiane, which comes from the Modern Latin botanical term for the tobacco plant, Nicotiana, named for Jean Nicot, the French ambassador who first brought tobacco from Brazil to France in 1561.
Vocabulary lists containing nicotine
Some Obscure Eponyms
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Class Matters
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The London Eye Mystery
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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.
"We need to keep pace with a rapidly evolving market and continue to take action to protect children from nicotine products."
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
Dr McKean said the new act was "an important step towards protecting children from nicotine addiction, but it must not be seen as a one-and-done solution".
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
Imperial Brands said it expects to report higher adjusted operating profit for the first half of fiscal 2026, helped by strong tobacco pricing and revenue growth from its vaping, heated tobacco and oral nicotine products.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 14, 2026
He co-founded Soylent, a health-foods company, and Lucy, which makes nontobacco nicotine products.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 3, 2026
Thus, if nicotine sulphate is applied before rather than after the apple blossoms turn pink one of the important predators is spared, probably because it is still in the egg stage.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
