strychnine

[ strik-nin, -neen, -nahyn ]

/ ˈstrɪk nɪn, -nin, -naɪn /

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.

Words nearby strychnine

struthers, struthious, strutting, struve, strychnic, strychnine, strychninism, stryker frame, strymon, strümpell's disease, strümpell-marie disease

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

strych·nic, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for strychnine

It is seldom that more than half a grain of strychnine administered in 16m.
On Snake-Poison: its Action and its Antidote|A. Mueller
Add the starch to the strychnine solution and boil for a few minutes until the starch is clear.
Field Mice as Farm and Orchard Pests|D. Lantz
Strychnine is to be had in crystals or in crushed or powdered form.
Wolf and Coyote Trapping|A. R. (Arthur Robert) Harding
I spray with London purple and strychnine when the leaves are small; think I have reduced the codling-moth.
The Apple|Various

There is no doubt, however, that the poison that he used was strychnine.
Intentions|Oscar Wilde

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

Medicine definitions for strychnine

strychnine

[ strĭk′nīn′, -nĭn, -nēn′ ]

n.

An extremely poisonous white crystalline alkaloid used as a poison for rodents and formerly used topically as a central nervous system stimulant.

Science 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.