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Glite Dictionary
dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane

dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane

9.9
A man-made chemical often called DDT that kills insects, harms people and animals, and many countries now ban it
  • noun
  • /daɪˌklɔːroʊˌdaɪˈfɛnɪlˌtraɪˌklɔːroʊˈɛθeɪn/
  • Specialized
translation icon : dicloro-difenil-tricloroetano
  • The widespread use of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane led to serious environmental damage in the mid-20th century.

Examples

  • Many countries have banned dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane due to its persistence in the environment.

  • Farmers used to rely on dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane for pest control.

  • Exposure to dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane has been linked to negative health effects in humans and wildlife.

  • The use of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane has been banned in many countries.

  • Exposure to dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane has been linked to negative health effects in humans and wildlife.

  • Many countries have banned dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane due to its persistence in the environment.

  • The widespread use of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane led to serious environmental damage in the mid-20th century.

Synonyms

dieldrin
vsdichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane
  • Specialized
3 9.9

A toxic chemical that kills insects and is now banned in many countries

is more widely used historically and noted for extremely high toxicity
chlordane
vsdichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A harmful chemical once used to kill insects that stays in soil for years and is now banned

is mainly noted for being highly toxic and widely used before bans
heptachlor
vsdichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane
  • Specialized
9.9

A poisonous chemical once used to kill insects that is now banned

is highlighted for its especially wide past use and harmful environmental effects
hexachlorocyclohexane
vsdichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane
  • Specialized
9.9

A man-made chemical that kills insects and stays in the environment

is a widely used highly toxic insecticide now banned for environmental and health harm

Surface Forms

dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane singular
dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes plural

Morphology

dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane = phenyl + ethane (opaque) = dichloro + diphenyl + trichloro + ethane

The term is a technical chemical name composed of combining forms (dichloro-, diphenyl-, trichloro-, -ethane) whose meanings are specific to chemistry and not recoverable by average B1 learners from the components.

Etymology

Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane is a very long chemical name made of smaller parts: di- 'two', chloro 'chlorine', diphenyl 'two ring groups', tri- 'three', chloro 'chlorine', and ethane 'a two carbon chain'. So, the name simply describes the parts of the molecule and is the formal chemical name for the insecticide commonly called DDT.