Synonyms for poison
- bacteria
- contamination
- germ
- toxin
- venom
- virus
- Cancer
- adulteration
- bane
- blight
- contagion
- corruption
- infection
- malignancy
- miasma
- toxicant
- toxoid
- venin
Antonyms for poison
EXAMPLES FROM THE WEB FOR POISON
He would not look at it, and when I threw it close to him he dashed it away as if it was poison.
Better remember my little school-mate as she was before the poison stung her.
I determined to try the poison of jealousy, by way of an alterative.
She poured it as if it were poison, and Josiah became conscious of her tragic self-control.
Why reserve the knowledge of the blessing until it has turned to poison?
Now, when the poison was no longer in the stomach, will-power could do a great deal.
He had the crawl of the reptile,—he had, also, its poison and its fangs.
Before she slept, I said, he must administer an antidote to Coates's poison.
And when you have heard me, leave this place, and poison my sight no more!'
But because of this poison of politics, no one can call their souls their own.
WORD ORIGIN
c.1200, "a deadly potion or substance," also figuratively, from Old French poison, puison (12c., Modern French poison) "a drink," especially a medical drink, later "a (magic) potion, poisonous drink" (14c.), from Latin potionem (nominative potio) "a drinking, a drink," also "poisonous drink" (Cicero), from potare "to drink" (see potion).
For form evolution from Latin to French, cf. raison from rationem. The Latin word also is the source of Old Spanish pozon, Italian pozione, Spanish pocion. The more usual Indo-European word for this is represented in English by virus. The Old English word was ator (see attercop) or lybb. Slang sense of "alcoholic drink" first attested 1805, American English.
For sense evolution, cf. Old French enerber, enherber "to kill with poisonous plants." In many Germanic languages "poison" is named by a word equivalent to English gift (cf. Old High German gift, German Gift, Danish and Swedish gift; Dutch gift, vergift). This shift might have been partly euphemistic, partly by influence of Greek dosis "a portion prescribed," literally "a giving," used by Galen and other Greek physicians to mean an amount of medicine (see dose (n.)).
Figuratively from late 15c.; of persons by 1910. As an adjective from 1520s; with plant names from 18c. Poison ivy first recorded 1784; poison oak is from 1743. Poison gas first recorded 1915. Poison-pen (letter) popularized 1913 by a notorious criminal case in Pennsylvania, U.S.; the phrase dates to 1898.