LETHAL

deadly, lethal

(adjective) of an instrument of certain death; “deadly poisons”; “lethal weapon”; “a lethal injection”

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology 1

Adjective

lethal (comparative more lethal, superlative most lethal)

Deadly; mortal; fatal.

Noun

lethal (plural lethals)

Any weapon that causes death.

Antonym: non-lethal

(genetics) An allele that causes the death of the organism that carries it.

Etymology 2

Abbreviation of “lauric acid ethereal salt”, so called because it occurs in the ethereal salt of lauric acid.

Noun

lethal (uncountable)

(chemistry) One of the higher alcohols of the paraffine series obtained from spermaceti as a white crystalline solid.

Source: Wiktionary


Leth"al, n. Etym: [Lauric + ether + alcohol.] (Chem.)

Definition: One of the higher alcohols of the paraffine series obtained from spermaceti as a white crystalline solid. It is so called because it occurs in the ethereal salt of lauric acid.

Le"thal, a. Etym: [L. lethalis, letalis, fr. lethum, letum, death: cf. F. léthal.]

Definition: Deadly; mortal; fatal. "The lethal blow." W. Richardson.

– Le"thal*ly, adv.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

6 July 2025

AUTHORITARIAN

(adjective) expecting unquestioning obedience; “the timid child of authoritarian parents”; “insufferably overbearing behavior toward the waiter”


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Coffee Trivia

According to Guinness World Records, the largest iced coffee is 14,228.1 liters and was created by Caffé Bene (South Korea), in Yangju, South Korea, on 17 July 2014. They poured iced black Americano on the giant cup that measured 3.3 meters tall and 2.62 meters wide.

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