toxicology

American  

[tok-si-kol-uh-jee] / ˌtɒk sɪˈkɒl ə dʒi /

noun

1. the science dealing with the effects, antidotes, detection, etc., of poisons.

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toxicology British  

/ ˌtɒksɪˈkɒlədʒɪ /

noun

1. the branch of science concerned with poisons, their nature, effects, and antidotes

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toxicology Scientific  

/ tŏk′sĭ-kŏl′ə-jē /

1. The scientific study of poisons, of their effects and detection, and of the treatment of poisoning.

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Other Word Forms

• toxicologist
  noun
• toxicologic
  adjective
• toxicological
  adjective
• toxicologically
  adverb

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Etymology

Origin of toxicology

First recorded in 1790–1800; toxico- + -logy

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Explanation

Toxicology is the field that studies poisons, especially how poisons work and how to treat them. If you’re writing a true crime story, you should study toxicology to know what happens when the villain poisons the victim’s tea. Mwah ha ha. Have you ever seen a label that said "toxic"? That means that substance will harm you. Toxicology — which is a branch of pharmacology — has to do with toxic substances (poisons). It comes from the Greek word for “arrow poison.” Not all poisons come at the end of an arrow, though. If a toxicology report is done on a dead person, it will reveal if they had any dangerous substances in them, such as illegal drugs or drain cleaner.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

toxicology

Postmortem tests revealed toxicology results for all three sisters were negative for drugs and alcohol.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

A forensic postmortem exam with routine toxicology testing is expected to be completed early next week, authorities said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026

Most previous toxicology research involving honeybees has centered on worker bees.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 22, 2026

On Saturday Greek police said they were fast-tracking toxicology reports in order to ascertain the cause of her death, potentially "in the coming days".

From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2026

Baird conceded, though, that because of the toxicology issues, this one may be tougher than the one with the driver and the bad brakes.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel

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