rotenone

R1O1T1E1N1O1N1E1

noun

A toxic crystalline substance obtained from the roots of derris and related plants, widely used as an insecticide.

Similar
nicouline
OriginHokkien 蘆藤 /芦藤 →
UncommonScrabble 8
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Meanings

nounrotenone (countable and uncountable, plural rotenones)

plural rotenones

  1. countableuncountablechemistryA toxic crystalline substance obtained from the roots of derris and related plants, widely used as an insecticide.

    The cryophilic phenotype of the atu mutant was alleviated to some extent by administering rotenone, a pharmacological inhibitor of oxidative phosphorylation, but not tolbutamide, a sulphonylurea that stimulates metabolic rate by raising the lymphatic concentration of glucose.

    2009 March 27, Ken-ichi Takeuchi et al., “Changes in Temperature Preferences and Energy Homeostasis in Dystroglycan Mutants”, in Science, volume 323, number 5922, →DOI, pages 1740–1743

    Synonyms: nicouline

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA toxic crystalline substance obtained from the roots of derris and related plants, widely used as an insecticide.

Similar
nicouline

Origin

  1. Hokkien蘆藤 /芦藤“Derris elliptica”
  2. Englishrotenone

From Japanese ローテン (rōten) + -one (“ketone”), from Hokkien 蘆藤 /芦藤 (lôo-tîn, “Derris elliptica”).

More words from Hokkien

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

rotenone. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rotenone

MLA

“rotenone.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rotenone. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “rotenone,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rotenone.

Source: rotenone on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.