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phytotoxic

American  
[fahy-tuh-tok-sik] / ˌfaɪ təˈtɒk sɪk /

adjective

  1. of or relating to phytotoxin.

  2. inhibitory to the growth of or poisonous to plants.

phytotoxic Scientific  
/ fī′tō-tŏk′sĭk /

  1. Poisonous to plants.

Other Word Forms

  • nonphytotoxic adjective
  • phytotoxicity noun

Etymology

Origin of phytotoxic

First recorded in 1930–35; phyto- + toxic

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.

Part of the reasoning in 2018 was site investigations found the ground underlain with peat deposits, as well as toxic and phytotoxic - meaning poisonous to plants - risk from shallow soils.

From BBC • Nov. 15, 2025

No phytotoxic activity could be noted on the cutinized stem and leaf surfaces.

From Northern Nut Growers Association Thirty-Fourth Annual Report 1943 by Northern Nut Growers Association

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.