tossico
toxic; poisonous
adjective TOS-see-koh Less Common
Origin: Greek toxikon (poison for arrows), from toxon (bow)
Usage Note
Tossico can be an adjective (una sostanza tossica — 'a toxic substance') or a noun (un tossico / una tossica) meaning 'a drug addict' in colloquial Italian — a meaning absent in English 'toxic.' Context is essential to avoid misreading. The formal noun for 'poison' is tossina (toxin) or veleno.
Examples
"Quella sostanza è altamente tossica per i bambini."
Natural Translation
That substance is highly toxic to children.
Related Words
Explore Italian by topic