ARSENICAL

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does arsenical mean? 

• ARSENICAL (noun)
  The noun ARSENICAL has 1 sense:

1. a pesticide or drug containing arsenic

  Familiarity information: ARSENICAL used as a noun is very rare.

• ARSENICAL (adjective)
  The adjective ARSENICAL has 1 sense:

1. relating to or containing arsenic

  Familiarity information: ARSENICAL used as an adjective is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• ARSENICAL (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A pesticide or drug containing arsenic

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Hypernyms ("arsenical" is a kind of...):

drug (a substance that is used as a medicine or narcotic)

pesticide (a chemical used to kill pests (as rodents or insects))

Derivation:

arsenical (relating to or containing arsenic)

• ARSENICAL (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Relating to or containing arsenic

Classified under:

Relational adjectives (pertainyms)

Context example:

arsenic vapor

Pertainym:

arsenical (a pesticide or drug containing arsenic)

Derivation:

arsenic (a very poisonous metallic element that has three allotropic forms; arsenic and arsenic compounds are used as herbicides and insecticides and various alloys; found in arsenopyrite and orpiment and realgar)

arsenic (a white powdered poisonous trioxide of arsenic; used in manufacturing glass and as a pesticide (rat poison) and weed killer)

arsenical (a pesticide or drug containing arsenic)

 Context examples 

A small-molecule organic arsenical with potential antineoplastic activity.

(Darinaparsin, NCI Thesaurus)

A pentavalent arsenical compound with antiprotozoal and antihelmintic properties.

(Acetarsol, NCI Thesaurus)

Although the exact mechanism of action is unclear, darinaparsin, a highly toxic metabolic intermediate of inorganic arsenicals (iAs) that occurs in vivo, appears to generate volatile cytotoxic arsenic compounds when glutathione (GSH) concentrations are low.

(Darinaparsin, NCI Thesaurus)