ptomaine
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Related to ptomaine: ptomaine poisoning
pto·maine
(tō′mān′, tō-mān′)n.
A basic nitrogenous organic compound produced by bacterial putrefaction of protein.
[Italian ptomaina, from Greek ptōma, corpse, from piptein, ptō-, to fall; see pet- in Indo-European roots.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
ptomaine
(ˈtəʊmeɪn) orptomain
n
(Biochemistry) any of a group of amines, such as cadaverine or putrescine, formed by decaying organic matter
[C19: from Italian ptomaina, from Greek ptoma corpse, from piptein to fall]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
pto•maine
(ˈtoʊ meɪn, toʊˈmeɪn)n.
any of a class of foul-smelling nitrogenous substances produced by bacteria during putrefaction of animal or plant protein: formerly thought to cause food poisoning.
[< Italian ptomaina (1878) < Greek ptôma corpse + Italian -ina -ine2]
pto•main′ic, adj.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
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| Noun | 1. | ptomaine - any of various amines (such as putrescine or cadaverine) formed by the action of putrefactive bacteria amine, aminoalkane - a compound derived from ammonia by replacing hydrogen atoms by univalent hydrocarbon radicals putrescine - a colorless crystalline ptomaine with a foul odor that is produced in decaying animal matter cadaverine - a colorless toxic ptomaine with an unpleasant odor formed during the putrefaction of animal tissue |
| 2. | ptomaine - a term for food poisoning that is no longer in scientific use; food poisoning was once thought to be caused by ingesting ptomaines food poisoning, gastrointestinal disorder - illness caused by poisonous or contaminated food |
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Translations
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
ptomaine
n → Leichengift nt, → Ptomain nt (spec)
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
ptomaine
n tomaínaEnglish-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.