noun
arsenic
AR-suh-nik/ˈɑːrsnɪk/
A poisonous chemical element.
The sealed container holds a metallic-gray specimen of poisonous arsenic.
Etymology
The name's “gold-colored” ancestor referred to the lemon-yellow mineral arsenic trisulphide. The mineral's name was later applied to the chemical element.
In context
he has some knowledge of poisons the common vulgar poisoner is reduced to fly papers weed killer or rat poison arsenic or strychnine
More examples
- The report lists the measured arsenic concentration.
- The old pigment contained arsenic.
- The periodic table represents arsenic with the symbol As.
Similar words
- poison
- A broad category of harmful substances, not one chemical element.