cyanide

[ sahy-uh-nahyd, -nid ]

noun
  1. Also cy·a·nid [sahy-uh-nid]. /ˈsaɪ ə nɪd/. Chemistry.

verb (used with object),cy·a·nid·ed, cy·a·nid·ing.
  1. to treat with a cyanide, as an ore in order to extract gold.

Origin of cyanide

1
1820–30; cyan-3 + -ide

Other words from cyanide

  • sub·cy·a·nid, noun
  • sub·cy·a·nide, noun

Words Nearby cyanide

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use cyanide in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for cyanide

cyanide

cyanid (ˈsaɪənɪd)

/ (ˈsaɪəˌnaɪd) /


noun
  1. any salt of hydrocyanic acid. Cyanides contain the ion CN and are extremely poisonous

  2. another name (not in technical usage) for nitrile

Derived forms of cyanide

  • cyanidation, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for cyanide

cyanide

[ ə-nīd′ ]


  1. Any of a large group of chemical compounds containing the radical CN, especially the very poisonous salts sodium cyanide and potassium cyanide. Cyanides are used to make plastics and to extract and treat metals.

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