dioxin

noun

di·​ox·​in (ˌ)dī-ˈäk-sən 

: any of several persistent toxic heterocyclic hydrocarbons that occur especially as by-products of various industrial processes (such as pesticide manufacture and papermaking) and waste incineration

especially : tcdd

Examples of dioxin in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Depending on what's burning – grasslands, trees, vegetation, buildings – wildfire smoke can contain chemical substances such as carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, acid gases, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, benzene, toluene, styrene, metals and dioxins, the New York State Department of Health says. —George Petras, USA TODAY, 10 Jan. 2025

Some VOCs, such as dioxins, benzene, formaldehyde and PAHs, can be toxic to humans. —Colleen E. Reid, The Conversation, 9 Jan. 2025

The recent sampling also picked up a dioxin called OCDD, or octachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin. —Connor Giffin, The Courier-Journal, 26 Sep. 2024

Future sampling of fish tissue will reveal whether the contaminants have faded from the pond, or managed to persist — as dioxins notoriously do. —Connor Giffin, The Courier-Journal, 26 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1919, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

dioxin

noun

di·​ox·​in (ˈ)dī-ˈäk-sən 

: any of several persistent toxic heterocyclic hydrocarbons that occur especially as by-products of various industrial processes (as pesticide manufacture and paper milling) and waste incineration

especially : tcdd see agent orange