strychnine

[ strik-nin, -neen, -nahyn ]

/ ˈstrɪk nɪn, -nin, -naɪn /

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noun

Pharmacology. a colorless, crystalline poison, C21H22N2O2, obtained chiefly by extraction from the seeds of nux vomica, formerly used as a central nervous system stimulant.

an Indian tree, Strychnos nux-vomica, of the logania family, having small, yellowish-white flowers in clusters, berrylike fruit, and seeds that yield strychnine.

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In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

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Also strych·ni·a

[strik-nee-uh], /ˈstrɪk ni ə/, strych·ni·na

[strik-ni-nuh]. /ˈstrɪk nɪ nə/.

Origin of strychnine

1810–20; <French, equivalent to New Latin Strychn(os) genus name (<Greek strýchnos a kind of nightshade) + French -ine-ine²

OTHER WORDS FROM strychnine

strychnic, adjective

Words nearby strychnine

struthious, strut one's stuff, strutting, Struve, strychnic, strychnine, strychninism, Strymon, St. Swithin's Day, St. Thomas, Stu

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use strychnine in a sentence

Using organocatalysis, strychnine can now be synthesized in just 12 steps, and the whole process is 7,000 times more efficient, Somfai said.
An easier, greener way to build molecules wins the chemistry Nobel Prize|Jonathan Lambert|October 6, 2021|Science News
This is a family tragedy laced with equal parts wit and strychnine.
‘Burnt Sugar,’ a challenging Booker Prize finalist, is hard to take, but harder to shake off|Ron Charles|January 19, 2021|Washington Post
A grain of strychnine is just as fatal as an ounce, without an antidote.
Autobiography of Frank G. Allen, Minister of the Gospel|Frank G. Allen
Croton oil and strychnine pills, that'll set me up in two weeks.
A Confederate Girl's Diary|Sarah Margan Dawson

This reaction is capable of detecting one part of strychnine in a million parts of liquid.
Cooley's Cyclopdia of Practical Receipts and Collateral Information in the Arts, Manufactures, Professions, and Trades..., Sixth Edition, Volume I|Arnold Cooley
"Yes, we had better go home," I spoke quietly, though my heart pumped as if I had taken strychnine.
Tramping on Life|Harry Kemp
Again, we must examine more closely some of the cases, in which strychnine injections showed a brilliant result.
Schweigger on Squint|C. Schweigger

British Dictionary definitions for strychnine

strychnine

/ (ˈstrɪkniːn) /

noun

a white crystalline very poisonous alkaloid, obtained from the plant nux vomica: formerly used in small quantities as a stimulant of the central nervous system and the appetite. Formula: C 21 H 22 O 2 N 2

Word Origin for strychnine

C19: via French from New Latin Strychnos, from Greek strukhnos nightshade

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

Scientific definitions for strychnine

strychnine

[ strĭk′nīn′ ]

An extremely poisonous, white crystalline compound derived from the seeds of the nux vomica tree. Strychnine is an alkaloid and was formerly used in medicine to stimulate the nervous system. It is currently used as a rat poison. Chemical formula: C21H22O2N2.