Standard Lemma guide

cyanide

noun · verb · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈsaɪənaɪd/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -aɪd
  • CMU ARPABET: S AY1 AH0 N AY2 D Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 2: S AY1 N AY2 D Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Any compound containing the -C≡N group or the CN− anion.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable

Topics: chemistry, inorganic-chemistry, natural-sciences, organic-chemistry, physical-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Sodium or potassium cyanide, used in the extraction of gold and silver or as a poison.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: chemistry, inorganic-chemistry, natural-sciences, physical-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Hydrogen cyanide, or cyanide gas, a poisonous gas.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

Topics: chemistry, inorganic-chemistry, natural-sciences, physical-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To treat or poison with cyanide.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

an extremely poisonous salt of hydrocyanic acid

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: salt

Narrower terms: sodium cyanide, potassium cyanide

6

noun

Meaning 6

any of a class of organic compounds containing the cyano radical -CN

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: nitrile, nitril

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: organic compound

Narrower terms: propenonitrile, acrylonitrile, vinyl cyanide

History

Etymology

From cyan- + -ide.

Across languages

Translations

35 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Belarusian: цыяні́д (cyjaníd) — chemistry: any compound containing the CN group
  • Bulgarian: циани́д (cianíd) — chemistry: any compound containing the CN group
  • Catalan: cianur — chemistry: any compound containing the CN group
  • Chinese Mandarin: 氰化物 (qínghuàwù) — chemistry: any compound containing the CN group
  • Czech: kyanid — chemistry: any compound containing the CN group
  • Danish: cyanid — chemistry: any compound containing the CN group
  • Dutch: cyanide — chemistry: any compound containing the CN group
  • Esperanto: cianido — chemistry: any compound containing the CN group
  • Finnish: syanidi — chemistry: any compound containing the CN group
  • Finnish: syaaniyhdiste — chemistry: any compound containing the CN group
  • French: cyanure — chemistry: any compound containing the CN group
  • German: Zyanid — chemistry: any compound containing the CN group
  • Greek: κυανίδιο (kyanídio) — chemistry: any compound containing the CN group
  • Hebrew: ציאניד (tzianyd) — chemistry: any compound containing the CN group
  • Hindi: श्यामिद (śyāmid) — chemistry: any compound containing the CN group
  • Hungarian: cianid — chemistry: any compound containing the CN group
  • Ido: cianido — chemistry: any compound containing the CN group
  • Indonesian: sianida — chemistry: any compound containing the CN group
  • Italian: cianuro — chemistry: any compound containing the CN group
  • Japanese: 青酸塩 (seisan'en) — chemistry: any compound containing the CN group
  • Macedonian: цијанид (cijanid) — chemistry: any compound containing the CN group
  • Māori: haeanate — chemistry: any compound containing the CN group
  • Persian: سیانور (siyânur) — chemistry: any compound containing the CN group
  • Polish: cyjanek — chemistry: any compound containing the CN group
  • Portuguese: cianeto — chemistry: any compound containing the CN group
  • Portuguese: cianureto — chemistry: any compound containing the CN group
  • Romanian: cianură — chemistry: any compound containing the CN group
  • Russian: циани́д (cianíd) — chemistry: any compound containing the CN group
  • Spanish: cianuro — chemistry: any compound containing the CN group
  • Spanish: prusiato — chemistry: any compound containing the CN group
  • Swedish: cyanid — chemistry: any compound containing the CN group
  • Tagalog: siyanuro — chemistry: any compound containing the CN group
  • Thai: ไซยาไนด์ (sai-yaa-nai) — chemistry: any compound containing the CN group
  • Turkish: siyanür — chemistry: any compound containing the CN group
  • Ukrainian: ціані́д (cianíd) — chemistry: any compound containing the CN group
Real reading context

cyanide in complete knowledge articles

Omega Metal Processing Science & nature · Challenging · 1 uses