lethal
/ˈliː.θəl/ adjective, noun
Forms lethals
- adjective Of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal.
- noun Any weapon that causes death.
- noun (genetics) An allele that causes the death of the organism that carries it.
- noun (chemistry) One of the higher alcohols of the paraffine series obtained from spermaceti as a white crystalline solid.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Etymology
Learned borrowing from Latin lētālis (“deadly, mortal, fatal”), improperly written lēthālis, from lētum (“death”), improperly written as lēthum, from a supposed connection with Ancient Greek λήθη (lḗthē, “oblivion, forgetfulness”).
Abbreviation of “lauric acid ethereal salt”, so called because it occurs in the ethereal salt of lauric acid.
Webster’s 1913
- noun One of the higher alcohols of the paraffine series obtained from spermaceti as a white crystalline solid. It is so called because it occurs in the ethereal salt of lauric acid.
- adjective Deadly; mortal; fatal. "The lethal blow." W. Richardson.
Etymology [Lauric + ether + alcohol.]
Etymology [L. lethalis, letalis, fr. lethum, letum, death: cf. F. léthal.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “lethal”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details