Strychnine is a very poisonous drug which is sometimes used in very small amounts as a medicine.
strychnine in British English
(ˈstrɪkniːn)
noun
a white crystalline very poisonous alkaloid, obtained from the plant nux vomica: formerly used in small quantities as a stimulant of the central nervous system and the appetite. Formula: C21H22O2N2
Also called: strychnia
Word origin
C19: via French from New Latin Strychnos, from Greek strukhnos nightshade
strychnine in American English
(ˈstrɪknɪn; ˈstrɪkˌnin; ˈstrɪkˌnaɪn)
noun
a highly poisonous, colorless, crystalline alkaloid, C21H22N2O2, obtained from nux vomica and other similar plants
Word origin
Fr < ModL Strychnos < L < Gr strychnos, nightshade
Examples of 'strychnine' in a sentence
strychnine
Zipporah slipped a bowl of githeri in front of him like she'd boiled the beans in strychnine.
Dexter Petley WHITE LIES (2003)
(Fine if you like sterilized milk, tea bags filled with house dust and powdered instant coffee that tastes like I imagine strychnine does.