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PTOMAINE
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
A term for food poisoning that is no longer in scientific use; food poisoning was once thought to be caused by ingesting ptomaines
Synonyms:
ptomaine; ptomaine poisoning
Classified under:
Nouns denoting stable states of affairs
Hypernyms ("ptomaine" is a kind of...):
food poisoning; gastrointestinal disorder (illness caused by poisonous or contaminated food)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Any of various amines (such as putrescine or cadaverine) formed by the action of putrefactive bacteria
Synonyms:
ptomain; ptomaine
Classified under:
Hypernyms ("ptomaine" is a kind of...):
amine; aminoalkane (a compound derived from ammonia by replacing hydrogen atoms by univalent hydrocarbon radicals)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "ptomaine"):
putrescine (a colorless crystalline ptomaine with a foul odor that is produced in decaying animal matter)
cadaverine (a colorless toxic ptomaine with an unpleasant odor formed during the putrefaction of animal tissue)
