DDT

American  

abbreviation

Chemistry.

1. dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane: a potent synthetic insecticide, C 14 H 9 Cl 5 , initially developed in the 1940s to combat insect-borne human diseases and later found to be highly and adversely persistent in the environment: agricultural use now prohibited in many countries, including, since 1972, the United States.

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DDT British  

noun

1. dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane; a colourless odourless substance used as an insecticide. It is toxic to animals and is known to accumulate in the tissues. It is now banned in the UK

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DDT Scientific  

/ dē′dē-tē′ /

1. Short for dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane. A powerful insecticide that is also poisonous to humans and animals. It remains active in the environment for many years and has been banned in the United States for most uses since 1972 but is still in use in some countries in which malaria is endemic. Chemical formula: C ₁₄ H ₉ Cl ₅ .

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DDT Cultural  

1. A colorless insecticide that kills on contact. It is poisonous to humans and animals when swallowed or absorbed through the skin. DDT is an abbreviation for d ichloro d iphenyl t richloroethane.

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Discover More

Although DDT, when it was first invented, was considered a great advance in protecting crops from insect damage and in combating diseases spread by insects (such as malaria), discoveries led to its ban in many countries. Residue from DDT has been shown to remain in the ecosystem and the food chain long after its original use, causing harm and even death to animals considered harmless or useful to man.

Etymology

Origin of DDT

d(ichloro)d(iphenyl)t(richloroethane)

Example Sentences

Bald eagles in the lower 48 were in danger of extinction by the early 1960s, shot in droves by hunters in the 19th and early 20th centuries, and poisoned by DDT after World War II.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 3, 2026

Curiously, DDT did not kill the birds outright, but rather caused their eggshells to collapse under the weight of the incubating adults.

From Slate • Feb. 21, 2026

Peregrine falcons, which were once nearly wiped out in Australia due to the use of pesticides in agriculture, have staged a recovery since the 1980s when DDT and other chemicals were banned.

From BBC • Nov. 7, 2025

Carson focused much of the book on DDT, the first modern synthetic insecticide.

From Slate • Sep. 29, 2024

But it was the use of DDT, and its potential health risks to both animals and humans, that grabbed the public’s attention.

From "An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793" by Jim Murphy

Related Words

• defoliant
• fungicide
• insecticide
• pesticide