nicotine
pronunciation
How to pronounce nicotine in British English:
UK [ˈnɪkətiːn]
How to pronounce nicotine in American English:
US [ˈnɪkətiːn]
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- Noun:
- an alkaloid poison that occurs in tobacco; used in medicine and as an insecticide
Word Origin
- nicotine
- nicotine: [19] Nicotine gets its name ultimately from Jean Nicot, 16th-century French ambassador in Lisbon, who in 1560 got hold of some samples of the new ‘tobacco’ and sent them to the French queen Catherine de Medici. The tobacco-plant was named herba nicotiana ‘herb of Nicot’ in his honour (whence the modern English term nicotiana for all plants of this genus), and nicotine was derived from nicotiana, originally in French, for the addictive alkaloid obtained from it.
- nicotine (n.)
- poisonous alkaloid found in tobacco leaves, 1819, from French nicotine, earlier nicotiane, from Modern Latin Nicotiana, formal botanical name for the tobacco plant, named for Jean Nicot (c. 1530-1600), French ambassador to Portugal, who sent tobacco seeds and powdered leaves back to France 1561. His name is a diminutive of Nicolas.
Example
- 1. In particular , nicotine is a highly flexible molecule .
- 2. It 's the nicotine in cigarettes that can stain teeth .
- 3. Likewise , nicotine will disrupt your sleep .
- 4. Like their conventional counterparts , electronic cigarettes contain nicotine .
- 5. If you are quitting smoking , get nicotine patches and other cessation aids .