rotenone

[roht-n-ohn]

noun

Chemistry, Pharmacology.

1. a white, crystalline, water-insoluble, poisonous heterocyclic compound, C 2 3 H 2 2 O 6 , obtained from derris root: used chiefly as the active ingredient of certain insecticides and in medicine in the treatment of chiggers and scabies.

rotenone

/ ˈrəʊtɪˌnəʊn /

noun

1. a white odourless crystalline substance extracted from the roots of derris: a powerful insecticide. Formula: C 23 H 22 O 6 ; relative density: 1.27; melting pt: 163°C

Word History and Origins

Origin of rotenone¹

1920–25; roten- (said to be < Japanese ) + -one

Word History and Origins

Origin of rotenone¹

C20: from Japanese rōten derris + _-one

Example Sentences

A substance lethal to fish but approved by federal environmental regulators called rotenone will be disseminated starting Aug. 26.

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Pesticides such as paraquat and rotenone that have been associated with Parkinson’s disease also leave that pathological signature in rodents.

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Greenamyre realized he might be able to mimic the disease in rats by exposing them to rotenone.

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One such study found more male rats develop Parkinson’s-like symptoms than female rats, even though both received the same level of contact with the insecticide rotenone.

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Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks plans to use the pesticide rotenone beginning Aug. 10 to kill fish in the North Fork of Spanish Creek and Chiquita and Big Brother lakes.

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