Adjacent Words

pesticide definitions

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WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a chemical used to kill pests (as rodents or insects)

Merriam Webster's

noun Date: circa 1925 an agent used to destroy pests

Britannica Concise

Any toxic substance used to kill animals or plants that damage crops or ornamental plants or are hazardous to the health of domestic animals or humans. All pesticides act by interfering with the target species' normal metabolism. They are often classified by the type of organisms they are intended to control (e.g., insecticide, herbicide, fungicide). Many also inadvertently harm other organisms in the environment, either directly or via consumption of the target organism.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. a substance used for destroying insects or other organisms harmful to cultivated plants or to animals. Derivatives: pesticidal adj.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(pesticides) Pesticides are chemicals which farmers put on their crops to kill harmful insects. N-MASS

Moby Thesaurus

Cain, aborticide, acaricide, anthelmintic, antibiotic, antiseptic, apache, assassin, assassinator, bactericide, bloodletter, bloodshedder, bravo, bug bomb, burker, butcher, button man, cannibal, carbamate insecticide, chemosterilant, chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticide, contact poison, cutthroat, defoliant, desperado, disinfectant, eradicant, eradicator, executioner, exterminator, fratricide, fumigant, fungicide, garroter, genocide, germicide, gorilla, gun, gunman, gunsel, hatchet man, head-hunter, herbicide, hit man, homicidal maniac, homicide, infanticide, insect powder, insecticide, killer, man-eater, man-killer, manslayer, massacrer, matador, matricide, microbicide, miticide, murderer, organic chlorine, organic phosphate insecticide, parricide, patricide, poison, poisoner, rat poison, regicide, roach paste, roach powder, rodenticide, slaughterer, slayer, sororicide, stomach poison, strangler, suicide, systemic, systemic insecticide, thug, torpedo, toxic, toxicant, toxin, trigger man, uxoricide, venin, venom, vermicide, virus, weed killer