arsenic

1 of 2

noun

ar·​se·​nic

ˈärs-nik,

ˈär-sə- 

1

: a solid chemical element that is used especially in wood preservatives, alloys, and semiconductors and is extremely toxic in both pure and combined forms see Chemical Elements Table

2

: a poisonous trioxide As₂O₃ or As₄O₆ of arsenic used especially as an insecticide or weed killer

called also arsenic trioxide

arsenic

2 of 2

adjective

ar·​sen·​ic är-ˈse-nik 

: of, relating to, or containing arsenic especially with a valence of five

Examples of arsenic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

In its report, the FDA found the amount of inorganic arsenic in apple juice was around 3-5 ppb. —Sarah Scott, Parents, 12 Sep. 2024

The voluntary recall comes after the State of Maryland found samples from one single lot of the juice, which is sold in one-liter bottles, tested above the guidance level for inorganic arsenic in the juice. —Natalie Neysa Alund, The Enquirer, 1 May 2024

Adjective

In the mid-2000s, the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality began pushing Bouse’s water co-op to deal with its arsenic levels by installing new filters. —Austin Corona, The Arizona Republic, 25 Nov. 2024

It’s been third-party tested for safety from contaminants, like arsenic or harmful bacteria, and the test results are available to view right on the product page. —Suzy Forman, SELF, 21 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English arsenek, arsenic "any of various compounds of arsenic, as yellow orpiment (arsenic trisulfide)," borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French arsenik, arsneke, borrowed from Latin arrhenicum, arsenicon, borrowed from Greek arsenikón, arrhenikón, probably borrowed from Aramaic zarnīḵ "arsenic" or a cognate Semitic word, borrowed from an unattested form in a Middle Iranian language (whence Persian zarnī, zarnīk "orpiment, arsenic"), a derivative of the word for "gold" (as Manichaean Parthian zrn /zarn/ "gold," zrnyn /zarnēn/ "golden"), alluding to the yellow color of orpiment

Note: The Greek word is assumed to have been reshaped by folk-etymological association with arsenikós, arrhenikós "male, masculine." Aramaic zarnīḵ is attested in a papyrus text (an order to repair a boat) dated January, 411 b.c., found in elephantine, Egypt (see A. Cowley, Aramaic Papyri of the Fifth Century B.C., Oxford, 1923, pp. 88-97; B. Porten, The Elephantine Papyri in English: Three Millennia of Cross-Cultural Continuity and Change, Brill, 1996, pp. 115-22); the word is also attested in Syriac a number of centuries later. The Manichaean Parthian forms are from D. Durkin-Meisterernst, Dictionary of Manichaean Texts, vol. III, Part 1, Dictionary of Manichaean Middle Persian and Parthian, Brepols, 2004. Parthian zrn and zrnyn are continuations of an Old Iranian etymon represented by Avestan zarańiia- "gold"—see note at gold entry 1.

Adjective

from attributive or compound use of arsenic entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1747, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1798, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

arsenic

noun

ar·​se·​nic

ˈärs-nik,

-ᵊn-ik

1

: a solid poisonous element that is commonly metallic steel-gray and brittle see element

2

: a white or transparent extremely poisonous oxide of arsenic used especially in insecticides

Medical Definition

arsenic

1 of 2 noun

ar·​se·​nic ˈärs-nik, -ᵊn-ik 

1

: a trivalent and pentavalent solid poisonous element that is commonly metallic steel-gray, crystalline, and brittle

—symbol As see Chemical Elements Table

2

: arsenic trioxide

arsenic

2 of 2 adjective

ar·​sen·​ic är-ˈsen-ik 

: of, relating to, or containing arsenic especially with a valence of five