soman
Britishnoun
Etymology
Origin of soman
C20: from German, of uncertain origin
Explanation
Soman is a deadly substance that was created for chemical warfare. Because it's toxic when people inhale it, soman is considered to be a weapon of mass destruction. Like mustard gas or sarin, soman is a nerve agent that was developed for use in wars to kill many people all at once. It's a chemical that harms and begins to break down the nervous system when it's breathed in. Soman was invented by German biochemists during World War II, but it was never used in that conflict, and in 1993 it became illegal to produce or keep it.
Vocabulary lists containing soman
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.
The main five nerve agents are tabun, which is the easiest to make, sarin, soman, GF and VX.
From The Guardian • Mar. 8, 2018
Sarin is one of several substances called nerve agents, with others including VX, tabun and soman.
From BBC • Sep. 2, 2013
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.
