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poisonmore about poison

poison


  5  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Poison  \Poi"son\,  v.  t.  [imp.  &  p.  p.  {Poisoned};  p.  pr  &  vb 
  n.  {Poisoning}.]  [Cf.  OF  poisonner,  F.  empoissoner,  L. 
  potionare  to  give  to  drink.  See  {Poison},  n.] 
  1.  To  put  poison  upon  or  into  to  infect  with  poison;  as  to 
  poison  an  arrow;  to  poison  food  or  drink.  ``The 
  ingredients  of  our  poisoned  chalice.''  --Shak. 
 
  2.  To  injure  or  kill  by  poison;  to  administer  poison  to 
 
  If  you  poison  us  do  we  not  die  ?  --Shak. 
 
  3.  To  taint;  to  corrupt;  to  vitiate;  as  vice  poisons 
  happiness;  slander  poisoned  his  mind. 
 
  Whispering  tongues  can  poison  truth.  --Coleridge. 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Poison  \Poi"son\,  n.  [F.  poison,  in  Old  French  also  a  potion, 
  fr  L.  potio  a  drink,  draught,  potion,  a  poisonous  draught, 
  fr  potare  to  drink.  See  {Potable},  and  cf  {Potion}.] 
  1.  Any  agent  which  when  introduced  into  the  animal  organism, 
  is  capable  of  producing  a  morbid,  noxious,  or  deadly 
  effect  upon  it  as  morphine  is  a  deadly  poison;  the 
  poison  of  pestilential  diseases. 
 
  2.  That  which  taints  or  destroys  moral  purity  or  health;  as 
  the  poison  of  evil  example;  the  poison  of  sin. 
 
  {Poison  ash}.  (Bot.) 
  a  A  tree  of  the  genus  {Amyris}  ({A.  balsamifera})  found 
  in  the  West  Indies,  from  the  trunk  of  which  a  black 
  liquor  distills,  supposed  to  have  poisonous  qualities. 
  b  The  poison  sumac  ({Rhus  venenata}).  [U.  S.] 
 
  {Poison  dogwood}  (Bot.),  poison  sumac. 
 
  {Poison  fang}  (Zo["o]l.),  one  of  the  superior  maxillary  teeth 
  of  some  species  of  serpents,  which  besides  having  the 
  cavity  for  the  pulp,  is  either  perforated  or  grooved  by  a 
  longitudinal  canal,  at  the  lower  end  of  which  the  duct  of 
  the  poison  gland  terminates.  See  Illust.  under  {Fang}. 
 
  {Poison  gland}  (Biol.),  a  gland,  in  animals  or  plants,  which 
  secretes  an  acrid  or  venomous  matter,  that  is  conveyed 
  along  an  organ  capable  of  inflicting  a  wound. 
 
  {Poison  hemlock}  (Bot.),  a  poisonous  umbelliferous  plant 
  ({Conium  maculatum}).  See  {Hemlock}. 
 
  {Poison  ivy}  (Bot.),  a  poisonous  climbing  plant  ({Rhus 
  Toxicodendron})  of  North  America.  It  is  common  on  stone 
  walls  and  on  the  trunks  of  trees,  and  has  trifoliate, 
  rhombic-ovate,  variously  notched  leaves.  Many  people  are 
  poisoned  by  it  if  they  touch  the  leaves.  See  {Poison 
  sumac}.  Called  also  {poison  oak},  and  {mercury}. 
 
  {Poison  nut}.  (Bot.) 
  a  Nux  vomica. 
  b  The  tree  which  yields  this  seed  ({Strychnos 
  Nuxvomica}).  It  is  found  on  the  Malabar  and  Coromandel 
  coasts. 
 
  {Poison  oak}  (Bot.),  the  poison  ivy;  also  the  more  shrubby 
  {Rhus  diversiloba}  of  California  and  Oregon. 
 
  {Poison  sac}.  (Zo["o]l.)  Same  as  {Poison  gland},  above.  See 
  Illust.  under  {Fang}. 
 
  {Poison  sumac}  (Bot.),  a  poisonous  shrub  of  the  genus  {Rhus} 
  ({R.  venenata});  --  also  called  {poison  ash},  {poison 
  dogwood},  and  {poison  elder}.  It  has  pinnate  leaves  on 
  graceful  and  slender  common  petioles,  and  usually  grows  in 
  swampy  places.  Both  this  plant  and  the  poison  ivy  ({Rhus 
  Toxicodendron})  have  clusters  of  smooth  greenish  white 
  berries,  while  the  red-fruited  species  of  this  genus  are 
  harmless.  The  tree  ({Rhus  vernicifera})  which  yields  the 
  celebrated  Japan  lacquer  is  almost  identical  with  the 
  poison  sumac,  and  is  also  very  poisonous.  The  juice  of  the 
  poison  sumac  also  forms  a  lacquer  similar  to  that  of 
  Japan. 
 
  Syn:  Venom;  virus;  bane;  pest;  malignity. 
 
  Usage:  {Poison},  {Venom}.  Poison  usually  denotes  something 
  received  into  the  system  by  the  mouth,  breath,  etc 
  Venom  is  something  discharged  from  animals  and 
  received  by  means  of  a  wound,  as  by  the  bite  or  sting 
  of  serpents,  scorpions,  etc  Hence  venom  specifically 
  implies  some  malignity  of  nature  or  purpose. 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Poison  \Poi"son\,  v.  i. 
  To  act  as  or  convey,  a  poison. 
 
  Tooth  that  poisons  if  it  bite.  --Shak. 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  poison 
  n  1:  any  substance  that  causes  injury  or  illness  or  death  of  a 
  living  organism 
  2:  anything  that  harms  or  destroys;  "the  poison  of  fascism" 
  v  1:  spoil  as  if  by  poison;  "poison  someone's  mind";  "poison  the 
  atmosphere  in  the  office" 
  2:  kill  with  poison;  "She  poisoned  her  husband" 
  3:  add  poison  to  "Her  husband  poisoned  her  drink  in  order  to 
  kill  her"  [syn:  {envenom}] 
  4:  kill  by  its  poison:  "This  mushrooms  can  kill" 
  5:  administer  poison  to  "She  poisoned  her  husband" 
 
  From  Easton's  1897  Bible  Dictionary  [easton]: 
 
  Poison 
  (1.)  Heb.  hemah,  "heat,"  the  poison  of  certain  venomous  reptiles 
  (Deut.  32:24,  33;  Job  6:4;  Ps  58:4),  causing  inflammation. 
 
  (2.)  Heb.  rosh,  "a  head,"  a  poisonous  plant  (Deut.  29:18), 
  growing  luxuriantly  (Hos.  10:4),  of  a  bitter  taste  (Ps.  69:21; 
  Lam.  3:5),  and  coupled  with  wormwood;  probably  the  poppy.  This 
  word  is  rendered  "gall",  q.v.,  (Deut.  29:18;  32:33;  Ps  69:21; 
  Jer.  8:14,  etc.),  hemlock"  (Hos.  10:4;  Amos  6:12),  and  poison" 
  (Job  20:16),  "the  poison  of  asps,"  showing  that  the  _rosh_  was 
  not  exclusively  a  vegetable  poison. 
 
  (3.)  In  Rom.  3:13  (comp.  Job  20:16;  Ps  140:3),  James  3:8,  as 
  the  rendering  of  the  Greek  ios. 
 




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