prussic
1
9.9
- noun
- /ˈprʌsɪk/
- Archaic
:
ácido prúsico
- Accidental exposure to prussic can be fatal within minutes if not treated immediately.
- prussic acid
Examples
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Be careful; prussic acid can evaporate quickly!
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Emergency crews evacuated the area after detecting prussic in the air.
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The laboratory stored prussic in tightly sealed containers due to its extreme toxicity.
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The laboratory handled prussic acid with extreme caution.
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Bitter almonds contain traces of prussic acid when raw and are used only for almond oil and extract.
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In a chemical demonstration, the professor carefully handled the prussic acid to show its volatile nature.
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The warning label clearly states that prussic acid can be deadly if ingested or inhaled.
Synonyms
1
7.5
A very poisonous liquid or gas that smells of bitter almonds and can kill if breathed in
A very poisonous liquid made from hydrogen cyanide and water used to kill pests
Compounds
- Archaic
A very poisonous liquid made from hydrogen cyanide and water used to kill pests
Surface Forms
Morphology
prussic = prussic acid (opaque) = pruss + ic
The noun is essentially a clipped form of 'prussic acid' (a compound); the chemical meaning cannot be inferred from the place-name element or the suffix.
Etymology
Prussic comes from the same story: it was named after Prussian blue, the blue dye made in old Prussia. That is why prussic now means the deadly liquid or gas 'hydrogen cyanide'.