brucine
9.9
A bitter poisonous chemical found in seeds like nux vomica
- noun
- /ˈbruːsaɪn/
- Specialized
:
brucina
- The laboratory safely handled brucine due to its extreme bitterness and poisonous nature.
Examples
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Scientists have studied brucine for its potential medicinal properties despite its toxicity.
-
Brucine is a highly toxic brucine found in the seeds of the nux vomica tree.
-
Brucine.
Surface Forms
Morphology
brucine = bruc + ine
Although the suffix '-ine' marks a chemical substance, the root 'bruc' is not a standalone English word and the meaning cannot be derived by typical learners from its parts.
Etymology
Brucine is named after the plant Brucea, because the chemical was first found in that plant's seeds. The plant name Brucea comes from the explorer Bruce, so brucine today means a bitter, poisonous plant substance much like the poison strychnine.
