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ptomaine poisoning

See more synonyms for ptomaine poisoning on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. (erroneously) food poisoning thought to be caused by ptomaine.
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Origin of ptomaine poisoning

First recorded in 1890–95
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for ptomaine poisoning

Historical Examples

  • Johnny had evidently never heard of ptomaine-poisoning, for nothing came amiss.

    Johnny Bear

    E. T. Seton

British Dictionary definitions for ptomaine poisoning

ptomaine poisoning

noun
  1. a popular term for food poisoning
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Word Origin

C19: because ptomaines were once erroneously thought to be a cause of food poisoning
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
ptomaine poisoning in Medicine

ptomaine poisoning

n.
  1. Food poisoning, erroneously believed to be the result of ptomaine ingestion. Not in technical use.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.