Poisonous Meaning
/ˈpɔɪzənəs/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjContaining sufficient poison to be dangerous to touch or ingest.
adjOf an animal such as a snake or spider, or parts of its body: producing a toxin intended for defensive or offensive use which is usually injected into an enemy or prey by biting or stinging; hence, of a bite or sting: injecting poison.
Sentence Examples
Some snakes are poisonous.
We should keep away from the poisonous plants.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The bright red mushroom in the forest is highly ____ and can cause liver failure if eaten.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The brightly colored frog was highly ____, a warning to predators displayed through its vivid skin.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English poisounous, poysonouse. By surface analysis, poison + -ous.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Nor taint-worm ſhall infect the yeaning herds / Nor penny-graſs, nor ſpearwort's poiſ'nous leaf."
— 1757, John Dyer, “Book I”, in The Fleece: A Poem […] , London: R. and J. Dodsley, page 40:
"I had picked a mushroom so poisonous that particles of it, stuck to my fingers and accidentally swallowed, could have made me deathly ill, and a piece the size of my thumb could have killed me."
— 2003, Charles L. Fergus, Common Edible and Poisonous Mushrooms of the Northeast, Stackpole Books, →ISBN, page 77:
"SERPENT … either that which is not poiſonous: or that which is counted poiſonous, having two long, hollow, moveable teeth, …"
— 1668, John Wilkins, chapter V, in An Essay Towards a Real Character, And a Philosophical Language., London: Printer to the Royal Society, page 161:
"The Cencoatl (o), which is alſo a poiſonous ſnake, is about five feet long, and eight inches round at the thickeſt part."
— 1787, F.S. Clavigero, The History of Mexico, London: G. G. J. and J. Robinson, page 60:
"Evidently the first thing to ascertain is whether the case is really that of a bite by a poisonous snake…"
— 1895, Leonhard Stejneger, The Poisonous Snakes of North America, Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, page 475:
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CEFR Practice Quiz
The bright red mushroom in the forest is highly ____ and can cause liver failure if eaten.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The brightly colored frog was highly ____, a warning to predators displayed through its vivid skin.