Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

strychnine

/ˈstrɪkˌnaɪn/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.36 in modern English

Syllables: strych-nine
IPA: /ˈstrɪkˌnaɪn/

18

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

2

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A very toxic, colorless crystalline alkaloid, derived from nux vomica, used as a pesticide.

Uncountable

Example Sentences

"Only don’t say I didn’t warn you if he burns Green Gables down or puts strychnine in the well—I heard of a case over in New Brunswick where an orphan asylum child did that and the whole family died in fearful agonies."
"[…] strychnine is a fairly rapid drug in its action. The symptoms appear from one to two hours after it has been swallowed."

Etymology

From French strychnine, from Greek στρύχνος (strýchnos, “sleepy nightshade”) (or directly from Ancient Greek στρύχνον (strúkhnon)) + -ine.

Origin

Source language: French

Word Breakdown

Root: strychnine, στρύχνος, στρύχνον
Suffix: ine

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈstrɪkˌnaɪn/
British English: /ˈstɹɪk.niːn/

Usage

Uncountable

Inflected Forms

strychnines (plural)

Derived Forms

strychnic strychninism strychninize

Phrases

hydrochloride of strychnine strychnine hydrochloride strychnine tree

Questions

How do you pronounce strychnine?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈstrɪkˌnaɪn/.
What does strychnine mean?: A very toxic, colorless crystalline alkaloid, derived from nux vomica, used as a pesticide.
Where does strychnine come from?: It is traced to French.

How to pronounce strychnine

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