autotoxication
|au-to-tox-i-ca-tion|
🇺🇸
/ˌɔːtəˌtɑːksɪˈkeɪʃən/
🇬🇧
/ˌɔːtəʊˌtɒksɪˈkeɪʃən/
self-poisoning
Etymology
'autotoxication' originates from Neo-Latin (medical coinage), combining Greek 'auto-' meaning 'self' and Greek 'toxikon' meaning 'poison', with the English/Latin suffix '-ation' forming a noun.
'autotoxication' was formed in medical Latin in the late 19th century from the Greek elements 'auto-' and 'toxikon' (or Latinized 'toxicum'); it entered English usage as a technical medical term describing self-poisoning and the related theory.
Initially, it referred straightforwardly to poisoning by one's own internal toxins; over time the term also came to be associated with the broader, now largely discredited theory that many diseases stem from intestinal 'toxins.'
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
poisoning of the body by toxic substances produced within the body (for example, bacterial toxins from the intestines).
The doctors investigated whether the patient's symptoms could be explained by autotoxication from intestinal bacteria.
Synonyms
Noun 2
an historically influential but now largely discredited medical theory that many illnesses were caused by accumulation of toxic substances in the intestines or body.
In the early 20th century, autotoxication was widely invoked to explain fatigue and mental disturbances, though the idea is now considered obsolete.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/11/29 10:28