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ptomaine |
2 definitions found From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Ptomaine \Pto"ma*ine\, n. [From Gr ? a dead body.] (Physiol. Chem.) One of a class of animal bases or alkaloids formed in the putrefaction of various kinds of albuminous matter, and closely related to the vegetable alkaloids; a cadaveric poison. The ptomaines, as a class, have their origin in dead matter, by which they are to be distinguished from the leucomaines. From WordNet r 1.6 [wn]: ptomaine n 1: any of various amines (such as putrescine or cadaverine) formed by the action of putrefactive bacteria [syn: {ptomain}] 2: illness caused by poisonous or contaminated food [syn: {food poisoning}, {gastrointestinal disorder}, {ptomaine poisoning}]
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