poison

== English == === Etymology === From Middle English poysoun, poyson, pusoun, from Old French poison, poisun, from Latin pōtiōnem (“drink, a draught, a poisonous draught, a potion”), from pōtō (“to drink”). See also potion and potable (from the same root). Mostly displaced native Old English ātor. See more at atter. === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA(key): /ˈpɔɪ.zən/ (Standard Southern British) IPA(key): /ˈpoj.zən/ (General Australian, New Zealand) IPA(key): /ˈpoɪ.zən/ Rhymes: -ɔɪzən Hyphenation: poi‧son === Noun === poison (countable and uncountable, plural poisons) A substance that is harmful or lethal to a living organism when ingested. Synonyms: atter, bane, contaminant, pollutant, toxin Hyponym: (strictly) venom Near-synonym: (loosely) venom (figuratively) Anything harmful to a person or thing. (informal, idiomatic) An alcoholic drink. (Mainly in the phrases "name your poison" and "what's your poison?") (chemistry) Any substance that inhibits catalytic activity. ==== Usage notes ==== In precise usage, the word poison is a hypernym, not a synonym, of venom: venom is a kind of poison (a kind of toxin) that an animal can deliver specifically via biting, stinging, or similarly controlled release. In herpetology it is shibbolethic to say the hyponym and not the hypernym when referring specifically to venom. The word poison is denotatively synonymous with toxin, but it is not connotatively identical and is thus not always freely interchangeable in idiomatic usage. Especially in toxicology, the words toxin, toxic, and toxicity are not idiomatically freely interchangeable with poison, poisonous, and poisonousness, respectively, for reasons of idiomatic tone rather than denotation. ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Descendants ==== → Mokilese: pwoaisin ==== Translations ==== === Verb === poison (third-person singular simple present poisons, present participle poisoning, simple past and past participle poisoned) (transitive) To use poison to kill or paralyse (somebody). (transitive) To pollute; to cause to become poisonous. Synonyms: contaminate, pollute, taint (transitive) To cause to become much worse. Synonyms: corrupt, taint (transitive) To cause (someone) to hate or to have unfair negative opinions. (chemistry) To inhibit the catalytic activity of. (transitive, computing) To place false or malicious data into (a cache, etc.) as part of an exploit. ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Translations ==== === References === Douglas Harper (2001–2026), “poison”, in Online Etymology Dictionary. “poison”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC. == French == === Etymology === From Old French poison f, inherited from Latin pōtiōnem f. Doublet of potion f, a borrowing. Cognate with English poison, potion. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /pwa.zɔ̃/ (Louisiana) IPA(key): [pwa.zɔ̃], [pwe.zɔ̃] Homophone: poisons === Noun === poison m or (Louisiana) f (plural poisons) poison (literal or figurative) Poisson sans boisson est poison ― Fish without drink is poison (idiom) (Louisiana) herbicide (Louisiana) insecticide ==== Usage notes ==== Usually feminine in Louisiana, as was sometimes the case in France before the 20th century. Not to be confused with poisson (“fish”). ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Descendants ==== Louisiana Creole: pwazon, pwazan → Walloon: pwezon m === Adjective === poison (invariable) (Louisiana) poisonous (Louisiana) venomous Synonyms: (Louisiana) poisonné, vénimeux === Further reading === “poison”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012 Dictionary of Louisiana French: As Spoken in Cajun, Creole, and American Indian Communities (2009; →ISBN; →ISBN) == Middle English == === Noun === poison alternative form of poysoun == Old French == === Alternative forms === peissun, peyson, poisoun, pouson, poyson, poysoun, poysun, puison, puisson, puisun, puson, pusoun, pusoune, pusun === Etymology 1 === From Latin pōtiōnem, accusative singular of pōtio f. ==== Noun ==== poison oblique singular, f (oblique plural poisons, nominative singular poison, nominative plural poisons) poison potion ===== Descendants ===== Middle French: poison ? French: poison mLouisiana Creole: pwazon, pwazan→ Walloon: pwezon m → Dutch: poisoen → Middle English: poysoun, poison, poisoun, poyson, poysun, puisoun, poisun, puisun, puissun (Early Middle English), poysone, poysoune, poysown (Late Middle English), pusoun, pusesoun, puyson, puysoun (especially Northern), pusone (Catholicon Anglicum), poyssone, pwsoune (Early Scots)English: poisonMiddle Scots: poysoun, pusounScots: pushion === Etymology 2 === ==== Noun ==== poison oblique singular, m (oblique plural poisons, nominative singular poisons, nominative plural poison) alternative spelling of poisson === References === == Spanish == === Etymology === Borrowed from French poison. Doublet of poción. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈpoison/ [ˈpoi̯.sõn] Rhymes: -oison Syllabification: poi‧son === Noun === poison m (plural póisones) (Louisiana) poison Synonyms: ponzoña, veneno