Nicotine

Nicotine

Noun · /ˈnɪkətiːn/ · the addictive chemical in tobacco

Definition

A toxic, colourless, oily alkaloid found in tobacco leaves. It is the primary agent responsible for tobacco addiction. In small doses it acts as a stimulant; in large doses it is a poison. Used in insecticides and, more recently, in nicotine replacement therapies.

Origin

Named after Jean Nicot de Villemain, a sixteenth-century French ambassador to Portugal who promoted tobacco as a medicinal plant and sent seeds to the French court. The word nicotine was coined by chemists in the early nineteenth century from his surname.