veratrine

[ ver-uh-treen, -trin ]

/ ˈvɛr əˌtrin, -trɪn /

noun Chemistry.

a white or grayish-white, slightly water-soluble, poisonous mixture of alkaloids obtained by extraction from the seeds of the sabadilla: formerly used in medicine as a counterirritant in the treatment of rheumatism and neuralgia.

Nearby words

Also ve·ra·tri·a

[vuh-rey-tree-uh, -ra-] /vəˈreɪ tri ə, -ˈræ-/.

Origin of veratrine

1815–25; < French < Latin vērātr(um) hellebore + French -ine -ine²

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

Examples from the Web for veratrine

Gallic acid occurs but seldom in nature; and always united to brucine, veratrine, or lime.
A Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures and Mines|Andrew Ure
In connection with this it is interesting to note that the effect of veratrine poison on muscle is somewhat similar.
Response in the Living and Non-Living|Jagadis Chunder Bose
A dilute acetic solution of veratrine is turned to a superb red by strong sulphuric acid.
Cooley's Practical Receipts, Volume II|Arnold Cooley
This is accelerated by a marked depressant action upon the heart, similar to that produced by veratrine and aconite.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 6|Various

Veratrine, warmed with syrupy phosphoric acid, develops an odour of butyric acid.
Poisons: Their Effects and Detection|Alexander Wynter Blyth

British Dictionary definitions for veratrine

veratrine

veratrin (ˈvɛrətrɪn)

/ (ˈvɛrəˌtriːn) /

noun

a white poisonous mixture obtained from the seeds of sabadilla, consisting of veratridine and several other alkaloids: formerly used in medicine as a counterirritant

Word Origin for veratrine

C19: from Latin vērātrum hellebore + -ine ²

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