STRYCHNINED

STRYCHNINE

Strych"nine, n. Etym: [L. strychnos a kind of nightshade, Gr. strychnine.] (Chem.)

Definition: A very poisonous alkaloid resembling brucine, obtained from various species of plants, especially from species of Loganiaceæ, as from the seeds of the St. Ignatius bean (Strychnos Ignatia) and from nux vomica. It is obtained as a white crystalline substance, having a very bitter acrid taste, and is employed in medicine (chiefly in the form of the sulphate) as a powerful neurotic stimulant. Called also strychnia, and formerly strychnina.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



RESET




Word of the Day

5 April 2025

SET

(noun) an unofficial association of people or groups; “the smart set goes there”; “they were an angry lot”


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Coffee Trivia

In the 16th century, Turkish women could divorce their husbands if the man failed to keep his family’s pot filled with coffee.

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