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Glite Dictionary
permethrin

permethrin

1 6.9
A chemical made by people that kills insects and keeps them away from animals and plants
  • noun
  • /pərˈmɛθrɪn/
  • Specialized
translation icon : permetrina
  • When hiking in woods, using permethrin on your camping equipment can help repel mosquitoes and ticks.
  • treated with permethrin
  • used permethrin

Examples

  • Many outdoor gear brands offer tents that are pre-treated with permethrin for insect protection.

  • PHOTO (COLOR): U.S. Army preventive medicine personnel treat uniforms with permethrin to ward off mosquitoes, sand flies, and other small insect pests.

    Academic text (2005)

  • I used permethrin cream 5%, a doctor prescribed it to me the first time last night.

    Blog text (3)

  • No, permethrin cream is probably being prescribed for scabies.

    Blog text (3)

  • We love to hike, boat, bike, and camp, and we are aware of checking for ticks and using permethrin on your clothing.

    Blog text (5)

  • At town meetings, the options for management of mosquito population levels, such as larvaciding and adulticiding with Permethrin, were presented.

    Academic text (2007)

  • For example, among individuals who used permethrin, the average frequency of use was about 30 applications per month—far in excess of the recommended use of once every 6 weeks.

    Academic text (2012)

  • Personal protection measures include: cover as much of the body as possible with clothing made from tight-woven fabrics, which can themselves be treated with an insecticide (permethrin); apply insect repellent to exposed skin.

    Academic text (2011)

  • Long trousers tucked into socks and closed-toe shoes or boots, long-sleeved shirts, a hat, and neckerchief are recommended, depending on what activity is undertaken, and these can be pre-treated with permethrin solution, which is lethal to ticks.

    Academic text (2014)

  • To protect yourself from ticks, treat your clothing with permethrin, as it kills them on contact.

Synonyms

pesticide
vspermethrin
  • Specialized
108 3.5

A chemical used to kill insects and animals that harm crops or spread disease

is narrower focusing on insects and often applied on people or clothing
insecticide
vspermethrin
  • Specialized
26 4.1

A chemical used to kill insects that harm crops or homes

is a specific synthetic chemical within that category used more on people and clothing

Surface Forms

permethrin singular
permethrins plural

Etymology

The word permethrin echoes the natural insect poison pyrethrin, which comes from chrysanthemum flowers, and it also suggests perma- as in 'permanent' meaning 'lasting'. So a helpful way to remember permethrin is that it is a man-made insecticide made to be more 'lasting', used to kill or repel bugs on crops, animals, or clothing.