Poison Meaning
/ˈpɔɪ.zən/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA substance that is harmful or lethal to a living organism when ingested.
nounAnything harmful to a person or thing.
Sentence Examples
If your child drinks poison, rush him to the hospital.
I got a rash from poison ivy.
Some mushrooms contain a deadly poison.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The detective found white powder in the victim's drink, which turned out to be a deadly ____.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The detective discovered that the victim had been given a slow-acting ____ in his evening drink.
Word Origin & History
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.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Awaie with the Rebels ſuffer them not to ſpeake,
His words are poyſon in the eares of the people, […]"
— 1593, anonymous author, The Life and Death of Iacke Straw […], →OCLC, Act IV:
"The temperature effect of poisons. The influence of poison on the catalyst can be different with the change of reaction conditions."
— 2013, Huazhang Liu, Ammonia Synthesis Catalysts: Innovation and Practice, page 693:
"In this technique, the hacker poisons the cache to launch malware into Web pages."
— 2013, Ronald L. Mendell, Investigating Information-based Crimes, page 93:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The detective found white powder in the victim's drink, which turned out to be a deadly ____.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The detective discovered that the victim had been given a slow-acting ____ in his evening drink.