tetrodotoxin

[ te-troh-duh-tok-sin ]

noun

, Pharmacology.

1. a neurotoxin, C 11 H 17 N 3 O 3 , occurring in a species of puffer fish: ingestion of the toxin is usually rapidly fatal due to heart failure or asphyxiation; used experimentally to block impulse conduction potential in excitable cells.

tetrodotoxin

/ ˌtɛtrəʊdəʊˈtɒksɪn /

noun

1. a highly lethal neurotoxin found in certain puffer fish and in newts of the genus Taricha . Formula: C 11 H 17 N 3 O 3

Word History and Origins

Origin of tetrodotoxin¹

1910–15; < New Latin Tetrodo ( n ) genus name of the puffer fish ( tetr-, -odont ) + toxin

Word History and Origins

Origin of tetrodotoxin¹

C20: from New Latin Tetrodon (puffer fish genus name, from Greek tetra- fourfold + odont- tooth) + toxin