ratsbane

[rats-beyn]

noun

rat poison.
the trioxide of arsenic.

Origin of ratsbane

First recorded in 1515–25; rat + 's¹ + bane

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for ratsbane

Historical Examples of ratsbane

If he wears a dagger and ratsbane, it must be to do mischief to himself or somebody else.
The History of John Bull
John Arbuthnot
Doolittle is a rat, and I will hire somebody to give him ratsbane.
The Evil Eye; Or, The Black Spector
William Carleton
Did I think he was so weak as bite holes in his flesh with ratsbane?
The Cloister and the Hearth
Charles Reade
I counselled him either to give or take an ounce of ratsbane, to cure his mind.
A Select Collection of Old English Plays
Robert Dodsley
If his wife and children are not to be made over, he is not to wear a dagger and ratsbane in his pockets.
The History of John Bull
John Arbuthnot

British Dictionary definitions for ratsbane

ratsbane

noun

rat poison, esp arsenic oxide

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

Word Origin and History for ratsbane

"rat poison, arsenic," 1520s; see rat (n.) + bane.