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:
palytoxinsOrigin 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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