Palytoxin Definition

pălə-tŏksĭn
noun
A powerful toxin that occurs in corals of the genus Palythoa of the South Pacific and disrupts the flow of ions across cell membranes. It is rapidly fatal to humans in very small doses and is one of the most complex naturally occurring substances.
American Heritage Medicine

Other Word Forms of Palytoxin

Noun

Singular:
palytoxin
Plural:
palytoxins

Origin of Palytoxin

  • New Latin Paly(thoa) genus name (coined by Jean Vincent Félix Lamouroux (1779–1825), French biologist) (perhaps based on the name of one of the Oceanids, such as Pāsithoē in the Theogony of Hesiod) toxin

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

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palytoxin