sternutator

American

[stur-nyuh-tey-ter] / ˈstɜr nyəˌteɪ tər /

noun

Chemical Warfare.

a chemical agent causing nose irritation, coughing, etc.

sternutator British

/ ˈstɜːnjʊˌteɪtə /

noun

a substance that causes sneezing, coughing, and tears; used in chemical warfare

"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

Etymology

Origin of sternutator

First recorded in 1920–25; back formation from sternutatory

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.

Here the lachrymators and the sternutators, the tear gases and the sneeze gases, came into play.

From Project Gutenberg

Oh, no! it must be some one else—there were other harmonious sternutators beside him, he could not be the only nasal nightingale in the three kingdoms.

From Project Gutenberg

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023