ptomaine poisoning

noun

1. (erroneously) food poisoning thought to be caused by ptomaine.

ptomaine poisoning

noun

1. a popular term for food poisoning

Word History and Origins

Origin of ptomaine poisoning¹

First recorded in 1890–95

Word History and Origins

Origin of ptomaine poisoning¹

C19: because ptomaines were once erroneously thought to be a cause of food poisoning

Example Sentences

Maybe I’ll take over a local restaurant, so I can give the entire community ptomaine poisoning.`

From Washington Post

Her illness is followed by a mass ptomaine poisoning at a “fashion” lunch.

From The New Yorker

On assignment in Mexico to round up Geronimo and his band, one officer got “ptomaine poisoning from a can of rancid Armour corned beef,” and another almost died of a tarantula bite.

From Washington Post

He said he was suffering from ptomaine poisoning—but his symptoms indicated a nervous collapse.

From Literature

The image had its roots in a physical purging that Sylvia experienced as a result of ptomaine poisoning that she had contracted on 16 June, during a lunch at an advertising agency.

From The Guardian

Related Words

• botulism
• salmonella