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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.

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