Pyrethrin

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A natural substance extracted from specific flowers that serves as an insect repellent
2. An ecological insecticide derived from the chrysanthemum plant that disrupts the function of insect nervous systems
3. A compound obtained from certain chrysanthemum flowers used to control insect pests in an environmentally safe way

Etymology: Pyrethrin is a chemical whose name carries the trace of a plant's Greek name. The word "pyrethrum" came into English for the daisy-like flowers that produce the substance, and the root behind it is Greek "pyrethron," a name tied to fire, and in turn to the plant's fiery, pungent character. The "-in" ending is a chemist's suffix, the same one that appears in words for many natural compounds, and it descends from Latin "-inus" through Old French and Middle English before English reshaped it into the familiar form. So the word is a plain compound: a plant name with a chemical ending attached. Its meaning is fixed to the flower itself, since the insecticidal compounds are extracted from pyrethrum blossoms, and the word simply names the active substance taken from them.

Synonyms: insecticide, pesticide, repellent, biopesticide, natural pesticide