Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A toxic substance composed of catechol derivatives that is present in the sap of various plants of the family Anacardiaceae and especially the genus Toxicodendron, including poison ivy, poison sumac, and the lacquer tree, from which a durable lacquer is obtained.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun organic chemistry An oil found in plants of the family Anacardiaceae, causing an allergic skin rash on contact; consists of a variable mixture of several organic compounds.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Japanese urushi, lacquer + –ol.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Japanese うるし (urushi, "lacquer") +‎ -ol

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Examples

  • "urushiol" (from the Japanese word for lacquer, urushi).

    Lincoln vs Cadillac tbbs08 2008

  • * All of these leafy plants contain an oil called urushiol that is irritating to 50 percent to 75 percent of us.

    You Raising Your Child Michael F. Roizen 2010

  • * All of these leafy plants contain an oil called urushiol that is irritating to 50 percent to 75 percent of us.

    You Raising Your Child Michael F. Roizen 2010

  • * All of these leafy plants contain an oil called urushiol that is irritating to 50 percent to 75 percent of us.

    You Raising Your Child Michael F. Roizen 2010

  • * All of these leafy plants contain an oil called urushiol that is irritating to 50 percent to 75 percent of us.

    You Raising Your Child Michael F. Roizen 2010

  • You know, it's the oil sap in poison ivy called urushiol that causes those painful rashes.

    CNN Transcript Jul 11, 2009 2009

  • Mango, you know, contains urushiol, which is the poison in poison ivy.

    Super Super Tuesday Tuesday Fat Bowl. Ann Althouse 2008

  • The other kind is much more common -- a contact dermatitis caused by a compound called urushiol found in the sap and the skin of the mango.

    News & Politics Bellwether Vance 2010

  • The oil is called urushiol, and it's that oil that causes that causes that rash to occur on your skin when you come into contact with it.

    NPR Topics: News 2010

  • They cause an infection of the skin with an oil called urushiol that is stored in their sap.

    CreationWiki - Recent changes [en] 2009

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