tetrodotoxin

[ te-troh-duh-tok-sin ]

noun

, Pharmacology.

1. a neurotoxin, C 11 H 17 N 3 O 3 , occurring in a species of puffer fish: ingestion of the toxin is usually rapidly fatal due to heart failure or asphyxiation; used experimentally to block impulse conduction potential in excitable cells.

tetrodotoxin

/ ˌtɛtrəʊdəʊˈtɒksɪn /

noun

1. a highly lethal neurotoxin found in certain puffer fish and in newts of the genus Taricha . Formula: C 11 H 17 N 3 O 3

Word History and Origins

Origin of tetrodotoxin¹

1910–15; < New Latin Tetrodo ( n ) genus name of the puffer fish ( tetr-, -odont ) + toxin

Word History and Origins

Origin of tetrodotoxin¹

C20: from New Latin Tetrodon (puffer fish genus name, from Greek tetra- fourfold + odont- tooth) + toxin

Example Sentences

If it doesn't get you the army of zombies I am creating with its tetrodotoxin will.

From The Guardian

Those bits contain tetrodotoxin, which can kill an adult in hours and for which there is no known antidote.

From Reuters

The fish is a treasured national delicacy but was historically forbidden to emperors because its liver is suffused with the poison tetrodotoxin.

From New York Times

Their soft bodies are chemical factories; they produce small amounts of a substance called tetrodotoxin to immobilize prey.

From Washington Post

Their saliva contains tetrodotoxin, a powerful nerve toxin that causes respiratory failure.

From National Geographic