nicotine

[ nik-uh-teen, -tin, nik-uh-teen ]

/ ˈnɪk əˌtin, -tɪn, ˌnɪk əˈtin /

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noun Chemistry.

a colorless, oily, water-soluble, highly toxic, liquid alkaloid, C10H14N2, found in tobacco and valued as an insecticide.

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Origin of nicotine

From French, dating back to 1810–20; see origin at nicotiana, -ine²

OTHER WORDS FROM nicotine

nic·o·tined, adjectivenic·o·tine·less, adjective

Words nearby nicotine

Nicostratus, nicotiana, nicotinamide, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate, nicotine, nicotinic, nicotinic acid, nicotinism, nicotinize, Nicoya

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use nicotine in a sentence

While e-cigarettes come in many forms, they typically include a tiny battery and a cartridge of liquid nicotine.
How Juul found success: Innovation and addiction|James Hirsch|July 23, 2021|Washington Post
E-cigarettes deliver nicotine but are generally considered less dangerous than traditional cigarettes, making them a potentially useful tool for adults trying to stop smoking.
Juul Is Paying $40 Million to Rebuild Its Reputation. Will It Work?|Jamie Ducharme|June 29, 2021|Time
These give them a smaller dose of nicotine that might help make quitting for good a little easier.
Scientists Say: Nicotine|Bethany Brookshire|June 7, 2021|Science News For Students
They claim Juul purposely designed its stylish, flash-drive-like devices and flavored nicotine e-liquids to appeal to teenagers.
How Juul Got Vaporized|Jamie Ducharme|May 17, 2021|Time

From surviving to thriving as a hardware startupThe other challenge is how to lower nicotine content.
Juul inventor’s Myst lands funding as institutional investors turn to China’s e-cigs|Rita Liao|May 7, 2021|TechCrunch
Ground glass is put in food to cause internal bleeding, and nicotine concentrated by boiling can cause a heart attack.
A Million Ways to Die in Prison|Daniel Genis|December 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
All of the employees were constantly blowing out steam, some of it without even nicotine in it, let alone THC.
This Is Your E-Cigarette on Drugs|Daniel Genis|July 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A man named Herbert Gilbert patented one back in 1963 that heated a nicotine solution and produced steam.
This Is Your E-Cigarette on Drugs|Daniel Genis|July 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
If you plan to take in vapor in such amounts, you have to get juice with a low nicotine content to avoid poisoning yourself.
This Is Your E-Cigarette on Drugs|Daniel Genis|July 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Some get juice without nicotine at all, just to enjoy the process esthetically.
This Is Your E-Cigarette on Drugs|Daniel Genis|July 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The tobacco plant, as is well known, produces a virulent poison known as Nicotine.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
Chemistry has taught us that nicotine is only one among many principles which are contained in the plant.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
Now, the strength of tobacco comes from its nicotine, and if the specimens I sent contain no nicotine, whence the strength?
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
I perceive that the amount of nicotine in a great measure depends on the extent to which the leaf is allowed to ripen.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
It is a dark maroon-colored leaf, and contains a large proportion of the nicotine oil.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.

British Dictionary definitions for nicotine

nicotine

/ (ˈnɪkəˌtiːn) /

noun

a colourless oily acrid toxic liquid that turns yellowish-brown in air and light: the principal alkaloid in tobacco, used as an agricultural insecticide. Formula: C 10 H 14 N 2

Derived forms of nicotine

nicotined, adjectivenicotinic (ˌnɪkəˈtɪnɪk), adjective

Word Origin for nicotine

C19: from French, from New Latin herba nicotiana Nicot's plant, named after J. Nicot (1530–1600), French diplomat who introduced tobacco into France

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 nicotine

nicotine

[ nĭk′ə-tēn′ ]

A colorless, poisonous compound occurring naturally in the tobacco plant. It is used in medicine and as an insecticide, and it is the substance in tobacco products to which smokers can become addicted. Nicotine is an alkaloid. Chemical formula: C10H14N2.

Cultural definitions for nicotine

nicotine

[ (nik-uh-teen) ]

A poisonous chemical substance found in the tobacco plant.