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toxina

toxin

noun tok-SEE-nah Rare
Body & Health Medicine

Origin: From Greek toxikon ('poison for arrows'), via scientific Latin toxina.

Usage Note

Toxina is a technical and journalistic term for a biological toxin produced by a living organism, distinguishing it from a general veneno (poison). It appears frequently in medical, environmental, and food-safety contexts — toxinas bacterianas, toxinas alimentarias. The adjective tóxico ('toxic') shares the same root and is far more frequent in everyday speech.

Examples

"La bacteria produce una toxina peligrosa."

Natural Translation

The bacterium produces a dangerous toxin.

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