toxin
[tok-sin]
- any poison produced by an organism, characterized by antigenicity in certain animals and high molecular weight, and including the bacterial toxins that are the causative agents of tetanus, diphtheria, etc., and such plant and animal toxins as ricin and snake venom.
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Origin of toxin
Synonyms
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.comSee poison.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for toxins
Contemporary Examples
As for the claims that activated charcoal will help purify your body from toxins?
Toxins are carried out of the body through a process called adsorption.
He tells us about the devastating consequences of these toxins entering the watershed.
No one really argues with the massive amount of pollution and toxins.
To begin, they lay down two layers of plastic membranes, protecting the new growth from the toxins below.
Historical Examples
Some of these toxins are excreted unoxidized by the kidneys.
Alcohol: A Dangerous and Unnecessary Medicine, How and WhyMartha M. Allen
If any toxins were present, the antidote was automatically injected on the site.
DeathworldHarry Harrison
The great difficulty is to explain how these toxins originate.
The Ethics of Medical Homicide and MutilationAustin O'Malley
No other physiques can so well withstand the toxins of urban congestion.
The Old World in the NewEdward Alsworth Ross
Would not the elimination of these toxins render us less liable to disease?
FletcherismHorace Fletcher
toxin
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
Word Origin and History for toxins
toxin
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
toxin
(tŏk′sĭn)- A poisonous substance, especially a protein, that is produced by living cells or organisms and is capable of causing disease when introduced into the body tissues but is often also capable of inducing neutralizing antibodies or antitoxins.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
toxin
[tŏk′sĭn]
- A poisonous substance, especially one produced by a living organism. Toxins can be products or byproducts of ordinary metabolism, such as lactic acid, and they must be broken down or excreted before building up to dangerous levels. Toxins can facilitate survival, as with snake venom that kills or immobilizes prey, or cyanide produced by some plants as a defense against being eaten. Bacterial toxins can sometimes be neutralized with antitoxins. Compare antitoxin.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
toxins
Poisonous substances, consisting mainly of protein, that are a by-product of metabolism in certain organisms. Toxins that enter the body through a bacterial infection can be very harmful and can result in diseases such as tetanus and botulism.
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The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.