Pyrotoxin

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A harmful chemical generated by certain microorganisms or plants that can inflict damage when subjected to heat or flames
2. A toxic entity formed by specific bacteria and plant species that poses a threat when exposed to elevated temperatures or fire
3. A poisonous substance produced by particular bacteria or plants that becomes hazardous under conditions of heat or combustion

Etymology: Pyrotoxin is a plain compound: "pyro-" from Greek "pyr", meaning fire, joined to "toxin". The Greek root runs back through "pyr" in Ancient Greek, while "toxin" descends from "toxikon", the Greek word for poison used on arrows, which took its name from "toxon", a bow. The two halves therefore combine a word for fire with a word for a bow's poison, and the sense of the compound is a toxin that is released or becomes harmful under heat. The second element gives "toxin" its own story. Ancient Greek "toxikon" was short for "toxikon pharmakon", meaning "bow poison", and Latin borrowed it as "toxicum". Through the suffix "-in", used in English to name chemical substances, the form "toxin" was made, and it is from this base that "pyrotoxin" was formed.

Synonyms: toxic compound, fire toxin, INVALID, INVALID, INVALID