plant toxin
- noun
- /plænt ˈtɑksɪn/
- Specialized
:
toxina vegetal
- She learned about the dangers of plant toxins during her botany class.
Examples
-
It is important to educate children about plant toxins to prevent accidental poisoning.
-
The animal-plant toxins had a rather unique effect on me.
Fiction book (1997) -
Some plants produce potent plant toxins that can be harmful if ingested.
Synonyms
140
5.3
A poisonous substance that some animals, plants, or bacteria make
3
7.9
A poisonous substance made by a living thing like a plant, animal, or germ
1
9.5
A poisonous substance that can harm people and animals
A poisonous substance made by a plant that can harm animals or crops
How Toxic
- Specialized
- Specialized
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: a 'toxin' produced by a 'plant' is exactly what the phrase denotes, so a B1 learner who knows both words can readily infer the MWE's meaning. This noun+noun compound follows common cross-linguistic and English word-formation patterns, making it transparent and predictable from its constituents.
Etymology
Plant toxin is a name for a toxin, a kind of 'poison', that a plant makes. Many plants make bitter or harmful chemicals to stop animals or insects from eating them, so the term means 'a poisonous substance produced by a plant'.