Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
cyanide poisoning

cyanide poisoning

2 5.8
A serious life-threatening illness caused by breathing or swallowing cyanide, often from fire smoke and industrial chemicals
  • noun
  • /ˈsaɪəˌnaɪd ˈpɔɪzənɪŋ/
  • Specialized
translation icon : intoxicación por cianuro
  • Don't ignore cyanide poisoning!
  • died from cyanide poisoning

Examples

  • Industrial workers must take precautions to avoid cyanide poisoning when handling chemicals.

  • The symptoms of cyanide poisoning can be severe.

  • Firefighters are trained to recognize the symptoms of cyanide poisoning in smoke inhalation victims.

  • Prompt treatment is crucial after cyanide poisoning to prevent serious health consequences.

  • The firefighter collapsed due to cyanide poisoning after battling the blaze.

  • Several animals died from cyanide poisoning after consuming the spoiled plants.

  • Immediate medical intervention can be critical in cases of cyanide poisoning.

Synonyms

poisoning
vscyanide poisoning
  • Specialized
144 3.9

A serious sickness caused by taking a harmful chemical into the body

refers to a specific often deadly case caused by a particular chemical in smoke

Surface Forms

cyanide poisoning singular
cyanide poisonings plural

Morphology

cyanide + poisoning

The meaning is directly compositional: 'cyanide' (a lethal compound) + 'poisoning' (harmful condition from a toxin) yields poisoning caused by cyanide. This follows a transparent noun-noun compound pattern that is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Cyanide poisoning comes from the name cyanide, which was named after 'cyan', a deep blue color seen in some old chemicals. Because cyanide is a very fast-acting chemical that can stop the body using oxygen, cyanide poisoning means being badly poisoned by that chemical, often by breathing smoke or in industrial accidents.