different between poisonous vs mephitic

English

Etymology

From Middle English poisounous, poysonouse, equivalent to poison +? -ous.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?p??z?n?s/, /?p??zn?s/

Adjective

poisonous (comparative more poisonous, superlative most poisonous)

1. Containing sufficient poison to be dangerous to touch or ingest.

   Synonyms: poisoned, toxic, venomous, (dialectal or archaic) attery

   Antonyms: nonpoisonous, unpoisonous

2. (figuratively) Negative, harmful.

   Synonym: toxic

Usage notes

Some speakers make a distinction between poisonous (releasing toxins when eaten), and venomous (releasing toxins (known as venom in this case) by biting a target), especially in non-colloquial speech.

Derived terms

Translations

English

Etymology

From Latin mephiticus, from mefitis, mephitis: compare French méphitique.

Adjective

mephitic (comparative more mephitic, superlative most mephitic)

1. Foul-smelling or noxious, particularly of a gas or atmosphere.

Derived terms

• mephitic acid
• mephitic air

Anagrams

• chip time