prussic
Americanadjective
Etymology
Origin of prussic
First recorded in 1780–90; see origin at prussic acid
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.
In the early 1900s, buyers had to sign for drugs they bought from a chemist, but the prosecution pointed out that the signature for the prussic acid didn't match the one on Orme's letters.
From BBC • Jan. 13, 2024
Christopher Logue, a master of anachronisms whose translations of the Iliad are collected in “War Music,” experimented with “the prussic glare,” which sounds alchemical, and “ash-eyed,” which has a matte quality.
From The New Yorker • Jan. 7, 2019
Woolen and silk clothes, rugs and furnishings produce prussic acid and ammonia as well as carbon monoxide and dioxide.
From Time Magazine Archive
Following the trail of a prussic acid theft, Sergeant Bell of Scotland Yard blunders his way into an inspectorship, following his self-denied solution of the crime.
From Time Magazine Archive
‘Not bitter almonds,’ I answered, ‘because they contain prussic acid; but why not parsley?’
From The Animal Story Book 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.
