Nicotine Meaning
/ˈnɪkətiːn/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounAn alkaloid (C₁₀H₁₄N₂), commonly occurring in the tobacco plant.
nounTobacco or cigarettes.
Sentence Examples
They say that an eggplant has lots of nicotine.
His hands had nicotine stains.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The patches help reduce cravings by delivering small amounts of ____ to the body.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The addictive substance found in tobacco is a chemical called ____.
Word Origin & History
Etymology tree French Nicot Proto-Indo-European *-nós Proto-Indo-European *-iHnos Proto-Italic *-īnos Latin -īnus French -in Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂ Proto-Italic *-ā Latin -am Old French -e French -e French -ine French nicotinebor. English nicotine Borrowed from French nicotine, equivalent to Nicot + -ine, named after Jean Nicot (1530–1604), the French ambassador to Portugal, who sent tobacco seeds back to France in 1561. The etymology of the surname itself is unclear.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"The nicotine in tobacco has been held to produce anaphrodisiac effects, in spite of such literary commendation as J.M. Barrie's My Lady Nicotine."
— 1961, Harry E. Wedeck, Dictionary of Aphrodisiacs, New York: The Citadel Press, page 165:
"The website calls a vote for Alyona a vote against "beauties who do not look natural and who cannot be distinguished from each other" and rails against the "imposed standards" of 90-60-90 vital statistics, and "cigarettes with out nicotine and coffee without caffeine"."
— 2004 April 13, Nick Paton Walsh, “Ample Alyona shakes up Russian pageant”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 15 Dec 2024:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The patches help reduce cravings by delivering small amounts of ____ to the body.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The addictive substance found in tobacco is a chemical called ____.