Agent Orange

noun

1. a powerful herbicide and defoliant containing trace amounts of dioxin, a toxic impurity suspected of causing serious health problems, including cancer and genetic damage, in some persons exposed to it and birth defects in their offspring: used by U.S. armed forces during the Vietnam War to defoliate jungles.

Agent Orange

noun

1. a highly poisonous herbicide used as a spray for defoliation and crop destruction, esp by US forces during the Vietnam War

Agent Orange

1. A mixture of equal amounts of two herbicides known as 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T, and trace amounts of the toxic contaminant dioxin (a byproduct of the manufacture of 2,4,5-T). It was used in the Vietnam War to defoliate areas of forest.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Agent Orange¹

First recorded in 1965–70; so called from the color of the identifying stripe on the drums in which it was stored

Word History and Origins

Origin of Agent Orange¹

C20: named after the identifying colour stripe on its container

Example Sentences

Raffini, whose husband died because of cancer related to Agent Orange exposure during his military service, admires Brown because of his military service.

From Los Angeles Times

Agent Orange, an herbicide used during the Vietnam War, is a known toxin with wide-ranging health effects.

From Science Daily

The cause was Parkinson’s disease, which his family said resulted from exposure to Agent Orange, the toxic chemical sprayed by American aircraft as a defoliant in Vietnam.

From New York Times

Some deforestation can be traced back to the Vietnam War, when forests were sprayed with the toxic defoliant known as Agent Orange.

From National Geographic

Before McDonald’s father died from the effects of exposure to Agent Orange, he told his 17-year-old son that he didn’t have to serve.

From Los Angeles Times