Princeton's WordNet(3.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. nicotine(noun)

   an alkaloid poison that occurs in tobacco; used in medicine and as an insecticide

GCIDE(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Nicotine(n.)

   An alkaloid which is the active principle of tobacco (C10H14N2). It occurs in tobacco plants (Nicotiana tabacum and Nicotiana rusticum) to the extent of 2 to 8%, in combination with malic acid or citric acid. It is a colorless, transparent, oily liquid, having an acrid odor, and an acrid burning taste. It is intensely poisonous. The apparently addictive effects of tobacco smoking have been ascribed largely to the effect of nicotine, and the controlled administration of nicotine on various forms has been used as a technique for assisting efforts to stop the smoking habit. Ure.

Origin: [F. nicotine. See Nicotian.]

Wiktionary(1.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. nicotine(Noun)

   An alkaloid (CHN), commonly occurring in the tobacco plant. In small doses it is a habit-forming stimulant; in larger doses it is toxic and is often used in insecticides.

Origin: From nicotine, named after Jean Nicot, French ambassador to Portugal, who sent tobacco seeds back to France in 1561.

Webster Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Nicotine(noun)

   an alkaloid which is the active principle of tobacco. It is a colorless, transparent, oily liquid, having an acrid odor, and an acrid burning taste. It is intensely poisonous

Origin: [F. nicotine. See Nicotian.]

Freebase(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Nicotine

   Nicotine is a potent parasympathomimetic alkaloid found in the nightshade family of plants. It acts as a nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonist. It is made in the roots and accumulates in the leaves of the plants. It constitutes approximately 0.6–3.0% of the dry weight of tobacco and is present in the range of 2–7 µg/kg of various edible plants. It functions as an antiherbivore chemical; therefore, nicotine was widely used as an insecticide in the past and nicotine analogs such as imidacloprid are currently widely used. In smaller doses, the substance acts as a stimulant in mammals, while high amounts can be fatal. This stimulant effect is likely a major contributing factor to the dependence-forming properties of tobacco smoking. According to the American Heart Association, nicotine addiction has historically been one of the hardest addictions to break, while the pharmacological and behavioral characteristics that determine tobacco addiction are similar to those determining addiction to heroin and cocaine. The nicotine content of popular American-brand cigarettes has slowly increased over the years, and one study found that there was an average increase of 1.78% per year between the years of 1998 and 2005. This was found for all major market categories of cigarettes.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Nicotine

   nik′o-tin, n. a poisonous, volatile, alkaloid base, obtained from tobacco.—adj. Nicō′tian, pertaining to tobacco, from Jean Nicot (1530-1600), the benefactor who introduced it into France in 1560.—n. a smoker of tobacco.—n.pl. Nicotiā′na, the literature of tobacco.—n. Nic′otinism, a morbid state induced by excessive misuse of tobacco.

The Nuttall Encyclopedia(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Nicotine

   a poisonous alkaloid extracted from the leaves of the tobacco plant, is a colourless, oily liquid, readily soluble in water, and has a pungent odour.

U.S. National Library of Medicine(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Nicotine

   Nicotine is highly toxic alkaloid. It is the prototypical agonist at nicotinic cholinergic receptors where it dramatically stimulates neurons and ultimately blocks synaptic transmission. Nicotine is also important medically because of its presence in tobacco smoke.

Editors Contribution(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Nicotine

   Nicotine is a natural alkaloid found in the tobacco plant and is used in various forms.

   Nicotine comes in many forms e.g. cigarettes, gums, dermal patches, lozenges, electronic cigarettes or nasal sprays

   Submitted by MC Harmonious on April 5, 2015

Suggested Resources(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. nicotine

   Song lyrics by nicotine -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by nicotine on the Lyrics.com website.

Anagrams for Nicotine »

1. cotinine

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of Nicotine in Chaldean Numerology is: 4

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of Nicotine in Pythagorean Numerology is: 8

Examples of Nicotine in a Sentence

1. Ann McNeill:

   We need to de-demonize nicotine.

2. Linda Bauld:

   E-cigarettes are not the best nicotine delivery devices.

3. Scott Gottlieb:

   We cannot allow a whole new generation to become addicted to nicotine.

4. Ken Faver:

   I'm not addicted to nicotine, so why do I have to participate in your drug addiction

5. Andrew Hyland:

   Is it a step towards people quitting, or are the hooks of nicotine just getting deeper.

Images & Illustrations of Nicotine

Popularity rank by frequency of use