ptomaine

American  

[toh-meyn, toh-meyn] / ˈtoʊ meɪn, toʊˈmeɪn /

noun

1. any of a class of foul-smelling nitrogenous substances produced by bacteria during putrefaction of animal or plant protein: formerly thought to be toxic.

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ptomaine British  

/ ˈtəʊmeɪn /

noun

1. any of a group of amines, such as cadaverine or putrescine, formed by decaying organic matter

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ptomaine Scientific  

/ tō′mān′ /

1. Any of various toxic nitrogenous organic compounds produced by bacterial decomposition of protein, especially in dead animal tissue. Ptomaines are bases and are formed by removing the carboxyl group (COOH) from amino acids. They do not cause food poisoning, as was previously thought, but the term ptomaine poisoning is still used to describe food poisoning caused by bacteria.

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Other Word Forms

• ptomainic
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of ptomaine

1875–80; < Italian ptomaina < Greek ptôma corpse + Italian -ina -ine ²

Example Sentences

Reportedly contracting ptomaine from poisonous crabmeat en route from Alaska, Harding was ordered to bed rest on his train.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 13, 2023

When I was a kid, "ptomaine" was synonymous with gastrointestinal distress, a shorthand for the after effects of a potato salad left out too long at the picnic.

From Salon • May 16, 2021

“So’s the ptomaine you give us, but you don’t see us pining for it.”

From Nature • Aug. 28, 2018

The image had its roots in a physical purging that Sylvia experienced as a result of ptomaine poisoning that she had contracted on 16 June, during a lunch at an advertising agency.

From The Guardian • Feb. 2, 2013

“When they start for the basketball game tonight, give them this from me and tell them to buy the sausage buns. My farewell gift may be ptomaine, for all I know.”

From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck