toxicism
/ˈtɒksɪsɪzəm/
noun
Origin
English
toxic + -ism — state or condition of being toxic
Overview
Meaning Now
- The quality or condition of being toxic; poisonousness.
- A toxic effect or state caused by a poisonous substance.
Literal older meaning
State or condition of being toxic
Language path
English → Modern English
Earliest form
toxicism
Earliest period
Modern English
Journey
In present-day English, toxicity is the normal term in science and general prose. Toxicism appears to be a rare or marked formation, probably created on the model of other abstract nouns ending in -ism, but it is not the established standard term.
Evolution
- Modern English
toxicism
“state or condition of being toxic”
Formed by adding the noun-forming suffix -ism to toxic, though the resulting noun is uncommon in standard usage.
- Modern English
toxicity
“poisonousness; harmful effect of a toxin”
This is the standard noun in current English and is far more common than toxicism.
Connections
Word parts
toxic
root
poisonous; harmful
-ism
suffix
state, condition, or doctrine
Related across languages
Latin
toxicum
poison, poison for arrows
Greek
τοξικόν
poison for arrows
Explore next
Related to toxicism
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.