Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

poison

/ˈpɔɪ.zən/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.08 in modern English

Syllables
poi-son
IPA
/ˈpɔɪ.zən/
8
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A substance that is harmful or lethal to a living organism when ingested.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

Anything harmful to a person or thing.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

An alcoholic drink. (Mainly in the phrases "name your poison" and "what's your poison?")

Countable; Informal; Uncountable

noun

Any substance that inhibits catalytic activity.

Countable; Uncountable

verb

To use poison to kill or paralyse (somebody).

Transitive verb

verb

To pollute; to cause to become poisonous.

Transitive verb

verb

To cause to become much worse.

Transitive verb

verb

To cause (someone) to hate or to have unfair negative opinions.

Transitive verb

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Middle English poysoun, poyson, pusoun, from Old French poison, poisun, from Latin pōtiōnem (“drink, a draught, a poisonous draught, a potion”), from pōtō (“to drink”). See also potion and potable (from the same root). Mostly displaced native Old English ātor and lybb. See more at atter.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: *peh₃-, poysoun, poison, pōtio

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈpɔɪ.zən/
  • British English: /ˈpɔɪ.zən/

Usage

Inflected Forms

poisons (plural) poisons (present, singular) poisoning (participle, present) poisoned (participle, past) poisoned (past)

Derived Forms

antipoison counterpoison empoison impoison poisonberry poisoner poisonful poisoning poisonless poisonlike poisonmonger poisonous

Phrases

arrow poison arrow-poison frog berry poison box poison bullock poison bushman poison bushman's poison Champion Bay poison

Synonyms

atter bane contaminant pollutant toxin contaminate pollute taint corrupt

Rhymes With

what's your poison foison

Questions

How do you pronounce poison?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈpɔɪ.zən/.
What does poison mean?
A substance that is harmful or lethal to a living organism when ingested.
Where does poison come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce poison

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “poison”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈpɔɪ.zən/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “poison”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “poison” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.