Poison word origin. Factsheet What does the word poison mean? There are three meanings listed in OED's entry for the word poison. The word poison was first recorded in English around the year 1200, meaning "a deadly potion or substance". The physicians and pharmacologists of those times pointed out that it was a custom to dip in the pike of the arrow in a poison, before it was fired against an enemy [3]. S. From Wiktionary The word "poison" originates from the Old French term "poison," which means "a drink," derived from the Latin "potionem," meaning "a drink, potion," from "potare," meaning "to drink. " The historical evolution of "poison" reflects its consistent use in describing toxic substances and harmful influences across different languages and time periods. (note: this sense is chiefly encountered in the phrases "name your poison" and "what's your Aug 22, 2016 · Hazard symbols have come a long way from the rudimentary drawings used to designate poison in the early 1800s. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more. As a result of updated OSHA chemical labeling requirements, 2016 marks the first full year of adoption of the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS) in the U. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence. See examples of poison used in a sentence. poison meaning, definition, what is poison: a substance that can cause death or seri: Learn more. to…. In modern languages the word then passed to the poisonous substance itself. How to use poison in a sentence. Something that harms a person or thing. "a deadly potion or substance," also figuratively, "spiritually corrupting ideas; evil… See origin and meaning of poison. . The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins. Gossip is a malicious poison. meanings, etymology, pronunciation and more in the Oxford English Dictionary POISON definition: 1. ' This word came to be used for a specially prepared drink, hence for a drink prepared with poison. We used a poison to kill the weeds. By the 14th century, the term had come to signify "a (magic) potion" or "poisonous drink". “Toxin was originally tekw, a word meaning to run or flee, later becoming toxsa in Persian and toxon in Greek, meaning bow and arrow; the toxin meaning may have come from the poison used to tip POISON definition: a substance with an inherent property that tends to destroy life or impair health. The GHS system, part of OSHA's Hazard Communication Standard (HCS), consists of nine Definition of poison noun in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Tox: The Root of Poison in Language and Culture Byline: Discover the significance of the word root "tox," derived from the Greek word for poison, and its impact across language, science, and society. Learn more. Feb 18, 2026 · The word poison is denotatively synonymous with toxin, but it is not connotatively identical and is thus not always freely interchangeable in idiomatic usage. This word is used in U. See also potion and potable. WordSense Dictionary: poison - spelling, hyphenation, synonyms, translations, meanings & definitions. Noun poison (countable and uncountable, plural poisons) A substance that is harmful or lethal to a living organism. (idiomatic) A drink; liquor. English. "of or pertaining to poisons, poisonous," from French toxique and directly from Late… See origin and meaning of toxic. From "toxic" substances to the process of "detoxification," this root highlights the double-edged nature of poisons and remedies in our world. a substance that can make people or animals ill or kill them if they eat or drink it: 2. Poison definition: To inhibit (a substance or reaction). Especially in toxicology, the words toxin, toxic, and toxicity are not idiomatically freely interchangeable with poison, poisonous, The meaning of POISON is a substance that through its chemical action usually kills, injures, or impairs an organism. It derives from the Old French poison or puison (12th century; Modern French: poison), originally meaning "a drink", particularly a medicinal one. The origin is in Old French puison, from Latin potio, genitive potionis, 'drink. 2013. Origin of Poison Middle English from Old French from Latin pōtiō pōtiōn- drink pō (i)- in Indo-European roots From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition From Old French poison, from Latin pōtio, pōtiōnis, from pōtō. The ancient Greek and Byzantine medical literature give the answer about how this term received this medical meaning. poison, n. xlt dtp hxm hsh osv znm caj cse cex sid pgs ocd xaq alf xiv