tetrodotoxin

English

Etymology

From German Tetrodotoxin, corresponding to Tetrodon (tetra- +‎ -ode) + toxin.

Noun

tetrodotoxin (countable and uncountable, plural tetrodotoxins)

  1. (neurotoxicology) A neurotoxin, originally discovered in Tetraodontiformes, and found in pufferfish, blue-ringed octopus, etc.
    • 1985, Wade Davis, The Serpent and the Rainbow, Simon & Schuster, p. 118:
      Both creatures belong to a large pan-tropical order of fish, many of which have tetrodotoxin in their skin, liver, ovaries, and intestines.
    • 2017, Mark Carnall, The Guardian, 9 August:
      The blue-ringed octopus Hapalochlaena lunulata has tetrodotoxin, the deadly toxin it also releases in a bite, in their ink but the concentrations and effect in inking are not known.

Synonyms
  • TTX (abbreviation)

Derived terms
  • TTX (abbreviation)
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