Medicine & BodyGreek → English
Toxic
Poisonous; causing harm.
The Greek roots
τοξικόν
toxikón
arrow-poison
Literally: “of the bow (poison)”
Follow a root:τοξικόν3 words
The story of the word
From tóxon, 'bow' — toxikón was the poison smeared on arrows, and the poison outlived the weapon in the word.
In a sentence
The factory leaked toxic fumes into the river.