biotoxin
|bi-o-tox-in|
🇺🇸
/ˈbaɪoʊˌtɑksɪn/
🇬🇧
/ˈbaɪəʊˌtɒksɪn/
poison from living organisms
Etymology
'biotoxin' originates from a modern compound of the Greek prefix 'bio-' (from Greek 'bios') meaning 'life' and the Greek-derived word 'toxin' (from Greek 'toxikon') meaning 'poison'.
'toxin' comes from Greek 'toxikon' (originally related to 'toxon' meaning 'bow' and 'poison for arrows'), entered Latin and scientific vocabulary in modern European languages and was adopted into English in the 19th century; the compound 'biotoxin' was formed later by combining 'bio-' with 'toxin' to specify toxins of biological origin.
Originally, 'toxin' referred to a 'poison associated with arrows' or 'arrow poison' in ancient Greek, but over time its meaning broadened to refer to any poisonous substance; 'biotoxin' specifically came to mean a 'poison produced by living organisms'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a toxic substance produced by a living organism (for example bacteria, algae, plants, or animals); a naturally occurring biological toxin that can cause illness or death.
Researchers identified a biotoxin produced by the algae that caused shellfish poisoning.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/10/13 20:55