Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun Any of various organic compounds normally with basic chemical properties and usually containing at least one nitrogen atom in a heterocyclic ring, occurring chiefly in many vascular plants and some fungi. Many alkaloids, such as nicotine, quinine, cocaine, and morphine, are known for their poisonous or medicinal attributes.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A body resembling an alkali in properties; one of a class of nitrogenous compounds which occur in plants in combination with organic acids, and are sometimes called the organic bases of plants, as morphine, nicotine, quinine, etc.
- Relating to or containing alkali.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective Pertaining to, resembling, or containing, alkali.
- adjective of or pertaining to alkaloids.
- noun (Chem.) An organic base, especially one of a class of nitrogen-containing substances occurring ready formed in the tissues of plants and the bodies of animals.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun organic chemistry Any of many
organic heterocyclic bases , thatoccur innature and often havemedicinal properties . - adjective Relating to, resembling, or containing
alkali .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun natural bases containing nitrogen found in plants
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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Aconite root contains about 0.4 per cent. of alkaloid and one-fifteenth of a grain of the alkaloid is a lethal dose.
The Witch-cult in Western Europe A Study in Anthropology Margaret Alice Murray 1913
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According to Grupe Dr. Pina used this substance with great success in the treatment of malarial fevers, but neither Grupe's report nor Pina's experiment are of any scientific value, inasmuch as they have neglected to mention the doses in which the so-called alkaloid was employed.
The Medicinal Plants of the Philippines Jerome Beers Thomas 1891
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Cocaine is an alkaloid which is contained in the Erythroxylon coca which grows in the Andes mountains of Peru and Bolivia 1000 to 3000 m. above sea level. 1 The first use of cocaine in history was by the Peruvian Indians in the 6th century who chewed on the coca leaves for the sense of wellness and endurance which it produced and who believed it to be a part of the Inca religion. 2
Cocaine Toxicity 2010
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Many forms of D. dumetorum contain a convulsant alkaloid which is a mixture of stereoisomers of dihydrodioscorine.
Chapter 37 1987
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Coffee, tea and chocolate contain a poisonous alkaloid which is generally called caffeine.
Maintaining Health Formerly Health and Efficiency R. L. Alsaker
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This is a volatile alkaloid which is not poisonous, and is thought to be almost identical with ammonia.
Herbal Simples Approved for Modern Uses of Cure William Thomas Fernie
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A crystalline alkaloid which is fatal to frogs in a dose of one centigramme, has been isolated from the common Stinging Nettle.
Herbal Simples Approved for Modern Uses of Cure William Thomas Fernie
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'Such doings, young man,' said I. 'I've read,' said I, 'that some German -- I've forgotten his name -- has created from the human brain a new kind of alkaloid, idiotine.'
The Wife, and other stories Anton Pavlovich Chekhov 1882
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"Amanitin is a wonderful and dangerous alkaloid, which is absorbed in the intestinal canal.
The Treasure-Train 1908
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I’ve forgotten his name — has created from the human brain a new kind of alkaloid, idiotine.’
The Wife 2004
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