Ptomaine
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 Any of various amines formed by putrefactive bacteria. countable, uncountable
"On 6 February 2001 the Yaremche Environmental Health Inspectorate (санітарно-епідеміологічна станція) concluded that the cemetery should not have been constructed on the VL [Vorokhtya Lisokombinat] plot in view of its proximity to residential buildings and the risk of contamination of the surrounding environment by ptomaine."
- 2 a term for food poisoning that is no longer in scientific use; food poisoning was once thought to be caused by ingesting ptomaines wordnet
- 3 Food poisoning. countable, dated, uncountable
""There have been cases of ptomaine poisoning from them, haven't there? Mr. Abbott put on a horrified expression."
- 4 any of various amines (such as putrescine or cadaverine) formed by the action of putrefactive bacteria wordnet
Example
More examples"On 6 February 2001 the Yaremche Environmental Health Inspectorate (санітарно-епідеміологічна станція) concluded that the cemetery should not have been constructed on the VL [Vorokhtya Lisokombinat] plot in view of its proximity to residential buildings and the risk of contamination of the surrounding environment by ptomaine."
Etymology
From French ptomaïne, from Italian ptomaina, from Ancient Greek πτῶμα (ptôma, “corpse”).
Related phrases
More for "ptomaine"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.