strychnine
noun
strych·nine ˈstrik-ˌnīn 
-nən,
-ˌnēn
: a bitter poisonous alkaloid C21H22N2O2 that is obtained from nux vomica and related plants (genus Strychnos) and is used as a poison (as for rodents) and medicinally as a stimulant of the central nervous system
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web The second, pure strychnine slipped into a bottle of bicarbonate, did the trick. 
Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2022 And a case of strychnine poisoning that was somehow fudged into death by natural causes to prevent a scandal and keep Stanford running. Mark Peikert, Town & Country, 12 June 2022 White supports his theories with some crucial pieces of overlooked evidence, such as a brief mention in a newspaper story connecting Berner to a druggist who would have had access to strychnine. Maia Silber, The New Yorker, 30 May 2022 Newspapers widely reported those words, as well as the results of an autopsy that found traces of strychnine in her blood. Maia Silber, The New Yorker, 30 May 2022 The first round of strychnine, a massive dose of rat poison dissolved in a bottle of Poland Spring water, didn’t work. Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2022 Poison was the most effective lethal strategy; lacing a single deer carcass with strychnine could kill dozens of wolves. Paige Williams, The New Yorker, 28 Mar. 2022 This had been the choice of Sá-Carneiro, who put on his best suit and swallowed strychnine in a Paris hotel in 1916, depriving Pessoa of his best friend. Benjamin Kunkel, Harper's Magazine, 26 Oct. 2021 The yield was pitiful: just 0.0009% of the material turned into strychnine, while the remainder was wasted. Samanth Subramanian, Quartz, 6 Oct. 2021 See More
Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2022 And a case of strychnine poisoning that was somehow fudged into death by natural causes to prevent a scandal and keep Stanford running. Mark Peikert, Town & Country, 12 June 2022 White supports his theories with some crucial pieces of overlooked evidence, such as a brief mention in a newspaper story connecting Berner to a druggist who would have had access to strychnine. Maia Silber, The New Yorker, 30 May 2022 Newspapers widely reported those words, as well as the results of an autopsy that found traces of strychnine in her blood. Maia Silber, The New Yorker, 30 May 2022 The first round of strychnine, a massive dose of rat poison dissolved in a bottle of Poland Spring water, didn’t work. Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2022 Poison was the most effective lethal strategy; lacing a single deer carcass with strychnine could kill dozens of wolves. Paige Williams, The New Yorker, 28 Mar. 2022 This had been the choice of Sá-Carneiro, who put on his best suit and swallowed strychnine in a Paris hotel in 1916, depriving Pessoa of his best friend. Benjamin Kunkel, Harper's Magazine, 26 Oct. 2021 The yield was pitiful: just 0.0009% of the material turned into strychnine, while the remainder was wasted. Samanth Subramanian, Quartz, 6 Oct. 2021 See More Word History
Etymology
French, from New Latin Strychnos, from Latin, nightshade, from Greek
First Known Use
1819, in the meaning defined above
Medical Definition
strychnine
noun
strych·nine ˈstrik-ˌnīn -nən -ˌnēn
-nən -ˌnēn : a bitter poisonous alkaloid C21H22N2O2 that is obtained from nux vomica and related plants of the genus Strychnos and is used as a poison (as for rodents) and medicinally as a stimulant of the central nervous system