DIOXIN

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does dioxin mean? 

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

1. any of several toxic or carcinogenic hydrocarbons that occur as impurities in herbicides

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

 Dictionary entry details 

• DIOXIN (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Any of several toxic or carcinogenic hydrocarbons that occur as impurities in herbicides

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

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

hydrocarbon (an organic compound containing only carbon and hydrogen)

Holonyms ("dioxin" is a substance of...):

Agent Orange (a herbicide used in the Vietnam War to defoliate forest areas)

 Context examples 

The Ah receptor, bHLH/PAS transcription factor, upon binding of an agonist such as 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin translocates into the nucleus and heterodimerizes with the transcription factor ARNT.

(AHR Signal Transduction Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)

The toxic by products are dioxin derivatives, which have been linked to the wasting syndrome, gastric ulcer, cancer, immunotoxicity, hepatotoxicity, vascular lesions, teratogenicity, and impaired reproductive performance.

(Agent Orange, NCI Thesaurus)

They include the pesticide DDT and dioxin, a byproduct of herbicide production and paper bleaching.

(Persistent organic pollutants in maternal blood linked to smaller fetal size, National Institutes of Health)