Vomitoxin

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˌvɒmɪˈtɒksɪn/

Definitions

1. A harmful chemical produced by certain fungi that can taint agricultural products
2. A type of mycotoxin originating from specific molds that can lead to health complications upon ingestion
3. A toxic substance generated by certain molds that can contaminate food supplies and pose risks to human and animal health

Etymology: Vomitoxin is a blend of "vomit" and "toxin," and the name is literal: it is called after the vomiting it provokes in livestock that eat contaminated grain. The mold responsible, a fungus of the genus Fusarium, colonizes wheat, barley, and corn, and the toxin it produces is better known to chemists as deoxynivalenol. The word is a plain technical coinage, built from two ordinary English words rather than from classical roots. Its purpose was to give farmers and veterinarians a memorable name for a specific problem: animals refusing feed or becoming sick after eating affected grain, with vomiting as a telltale sign. Blends of this kind are common in scientific naming, where the name is meant to describe the observable effect rather than the chemical structure.