alkaloid
pronunciation
How to pronounce alkaloid in British English:
UK [ˈælkəlɔɪd]
How to pronounce alkaloid in American English:
US ['ælkəlɔɪd]
-
- Noun:
- natural nitrogen-containing bases found in plants
Word Origin
- alkaloid (n.)
- 1831, from alkali (q.v.) + -oid. "A general term applied to basic compounds of vegetable origin, bitter in taste, and having powerful effects on the animal system" [Flood]. As an adjective by 1859.
Example
- 1. This tiny frog the size of your fingernail might seem harmless but its skin is packed with a toxic alkaloid ptx 323a .
- 2. But , the locals say , this is a great opportunity to show that coca isn 't harmful - with or without the cocaine alkaloid .
- 3. Though the cocaine alkaloid is one of 10 alkaloids in coca leaves and represents only 0.8 % of the chemical make-up of the plant , it 's removal is mandated by international anti-narcotics agencies when used outside the andean region .
- 4. It 's actually an alkaloid plant toxin ( like nicotine and cocaine ) , a bug killer that stimulates us by blocking neuroreceptors for the sleep chemical adenosine .
- 5. Since 1961 , trade of coca outside the andean region - where people have chewed or brewed coca in tea to stave off hunger and exhaustion for centuries - has been prohibited unless , the cocaine alkaloid is removed .