alkali poisoning

7.9

Illness from strong cleaners like lye that you swallow, breathe in, or touch

noun
/ˈæl.kə.laɪ ˈpɔɪ.zən.ɪŋ/

Specialized

: intoxicación por álcalis

Symptoms of alkali poisoning include burning pain in the mouth and throat and difficulty swallowing.

Examples

Accidental alkali poisoning can occur if children ingest household cleaners containing lye.
She suffered from alkali poisoning after accidentally drinking lye.
Emergency treatment for alkali poisoning often requires immediate hospitalization.
The symptoms of alkali poisoning can be very severe.
Accidental alkali poisoning can occur if children ingest household cleaners containing lye.
Emergency treatment for alkali poisoning often requires immediate hospitalization.
Symptoms of alkali poisoning include burning pain in the mouth and throat and difficulty swallowing.

Surface Forms

alkali poisoning singular

alkali poisonings plural

Morphology

alkali + poisoning

The meaning is directly and compositionally derived from 'alkali' (a strongly basic chemical) combined with 'poisoning' (harm from a toxic substance): it denotes poisoning caused by an alkali. This noun–noun composition follows a straightforward semantic pattern found across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

The term alkali poisoning comes from the burning effect of alkali chemicals like lye or ammonia. If someone swallows them they burn the mouth and throat and cause serious damage, so poisoning here means a dangerous chemical injury.