malathion

[ mal-uh-thahy-on, ‑uhn ]

noun

1. an organic phosphate insecticide, C 10 H 19 O 6 S 2 P, of relatively low toxicity for mammals.

Malathion

/ ˌmæləˈθaɪɒn /

noun

1. a yellow organophosphorus insecticide used as a dust or mist for the control of house flies and garden pests. Formula: C 10 H 19 O 6 PS 2

Word History and Origins

Origin of malathion¹

First recorded in 1953

Word History and Origins

Origin of malathion¹

C20: from ( diethyl ) mal ( eate ) + thio- + -on

Example Sentences

They began spot-spraying with a pesticide called malathion, which was about to become a household word.

From Los Angeles Times

The public displeasure that would only swell over the next couple of years was obvious from the get-go: We don’t believe no stinkin’ studies about malathion being harmless in these doses.

From Los Angeles Times

A bullet hole found in one copter had already prompted the CHP to send up an escort helicopter to accompany the flying formation of malathion sprayers.

From Los Angeles Times

In the meantime, the young people of the California Conservation Corps were the ones on the ground in the quarantine zone, stripping off fruit, hand-spraying with the malathion recipe.

From Los Angeles Times

So standing in front of a meeting of about 900 of them on that Tuesday night in the auditorium of a state mental hospital in Santa Clara, he held up a glass of the malathion recipe — and chugged it down.

From Los Angeles Times