nicotine

American  

[nik-uh-teen, -tin, nik-uh-teen] / ˈnɪk əˌtin, -tɪn, ˌnɪk əˈtin /

noun

Chemistry.

1. a colorless, oily, water-soluble, highly toxic, liquid alkaloid, C 1 0 H 1 4 N 2 , found in tobacco and valued as an insecticide.

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nicotine British  

/ ˈnɪkəˌtiːn, ˌnɪkəˈtɪnɪk /

noun

1. 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

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nicotine Scientific  

/ nĭk′ə-tēn′ /

1. 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: C ₁₀ H ₁₄ N ₂ .

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nicotine Cultural  

1. A poisonous chemical substance found in the tobacco plant.

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Other Word Forms

• nicotined adjective
• nicotineless adjective
• nicotinic adjective

Etymology

Origin of nicotine

From French, dating back to 1810–20; 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.

Example Sentences

Carlson and Patel also launched a precious metals company and a nicotine pouch company.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026

He co-founded Soylent, a health-foods company, and Lucy, which makes nontobacco nicotine products.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 3, 2026

But their message—the Ozymandian nature of consumer goods—is like a nicotine hit: quickly and easily processed, enjoyable for a fleeting moment, but ultimately unsatisfying.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

Because the mice were exposed only to pure nicotine during the experiment, the researchers were able to isolate its effects.

From Science Daily • Mar. 15, 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