Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A very toxic white crystalline compound, C23H22O6, extracted from the roots of various plants, especially those of the genera Derris, Paraderris, and Lonchocarpus in the pea family, and used as an insecticide.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun A chemical substance (C23H22O6) extracted from the root of the derris (
Derris elliptica ,Derris malaccensis , and other species), used in treatment of scabies and as an insecticide for external infestation by chiggers in human medicine, and in veterinary medicine for the treatment of infestations with fleas, ticks, and lice.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun an
insecticide extracted from theroots of theplant derris ; it istoxic tohumans and othermammals
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a white crystalline insecticide that has low toxicity for mammals; is used in home gardens; extracted from the roots of derris and cube
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
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Examples
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A toxin called rotenone would first exterminate non-native fish from the nine-mile creek section—an idea that rankles some local anglers—under a proposal by state and federal biologists.
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Thousands of gallons of fish poison, called rotenone, were dumped in the canal around 8 p.m.
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Chief Petty Officer Robert Lanier of the U.S. Coast Guard said workers began dumping a fish toxin called rotenone into the canal about 8 p.m. and would continue the poisoning until some time Thursday morning.
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Chief Petty Officer Robert Lanier of the U.S. Coast Guard said workers began dumping a fish toxin called rotenone into the canal about 8 p.m. and would continue the poisoning until some time Thursday morning.
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Chief Petty Officer Robert Lanier of the U.S. Coast Guard said workers began dumping a fish toxin called rotenone into the canal about 8 p.m. and would continue the poisoning until some time Thursday morning.
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Thousands of gallons of fish poison, called rotenone, were dumped in the canal around 8 p.m.
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The poison, called rotenone, isn't scheduled to be dumped into the canal until after dark.
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Chief Petty Officer Robert Lanier of the U.S. Coast Guard said workers began dumping a fish toxin called rotenone into the canal about 8 p.m. and would continue the poisoning until some time Thursday morning.
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The fish poison, called rotenone, will be dumped into the canal just above the barrier on Dec. 3.
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Officials will spread a fish toxin called rotenone near Lockport, Ill., hoping to kill the carp.
knitandpurl commented on the word rotenone
"Does the electric field have weak spots where fish can pass? Does a winter-time influx of road salt in the water cause the charge to fluctuate? What about when the current must be turned off for maintenance of the bars or cables? Is the rotenone chemical fish killer administered when the current is off effective without fail?"
"Fish Out of Water" by Ian Frazier, in the New Yorker, October 25, 2010, p 71
October 28, 2010