nicotine
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived 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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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.
Based on the photos, the items appeared to be from companies like ALP Drifter Nicotine, Footlocker, Epson, DeepCool AI, Renkus-Heinz and Medicube.
From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026
“The holdup quite frankly is Marty Makary,” said Richard Burr, the former North Carolina senator who now leads a pro-vaping group, the Coalition for Smarter Regulation of Nicotine.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026
February is National Cancer Prevention Month, and Dr. Jon Ebbert, medical director of the Mayo Clinic Nicotine Dependence Center, says it’s never too late to make lifestyle changes that can decrease your risk of cancer.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 22, 2024
Former smoker Mark Oates, 32, founded the Snus and Nicotine Pouch Users Association and agrees regulations should be reviewed.
From BBC • Oct. 30, 2022
In 1891 he made a collection of his lighter papers from the St James's Gazette and published them as My Lady Nicotine.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Part 1, Slice 3 "Banks" to "Bassoon" by Various
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.
