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

Example Sentences

If it doesn't get you the army of zombies I am creating with its tetrodotoxin will.

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Those bits contain tetrodotoxin, which can kill an adult in hours and for which there is no known antidote.

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The fish is a treasured national delicacy but was historically forbidden to emperors because its liver is suffused with the poison tetrodotoxin.

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Their soft bodies are chemical factories; they produce small amounts of a substance called tetrodotoxin to immobilize prey.

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Their saliva contains tetrodotoxin, a powerful nerve toxin that causes respiratory failure.

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