Standard Lemma guide

dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane

noun · 2 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

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1

noun

Meaning 1

A long-lasting synthetic insecticide formerly used to kill mosquitoes and crop pests. It became controversial because it persists in the environment and harms wildlife by building up in food chains.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

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

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: persistent organic pollutant

2

noun

Meaning 2

an insecticide that is also toxic to animals and humans; banned in the United States since 1972

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: DDT

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: pollutant, insecticide, insect powder

History

Etymology

From dichloro + diphenyl + trichloro + ethane.

Across languages

Translations

12 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 滴滴涕 (dīdītì) — chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticide DDT
  • Chinese Mandarin: 二氯二苯基三氯乙烷 (èrlǜèrběnjīsānlǜyǐwán) — chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticide DDT
  • Finnish: diklooridifenyylitrikloorietaani — chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticide DDT
  • French: dichlorodiphényltrichloroéthane — chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticide DDT
  • German: Dichlordiphenyltrichlorethan — chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticide DDT
  • German: DDT — chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticide DDT
  • Hungarian: diklór-difenil-triklóretán — chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticide DDT
  • Hungarian: DDT — chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticide DDT
  • Portuguese: diclorodifeniltricloroetano — chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticide DDT
  • Swedish: diklorodifenyltrikloroetan — chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticide DDT
  • Thai: ดีดีที (dii-dii-tii) — chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticide DDT
  • Thai: ไดคลอโรไดฟีนิลไตรคลอโรอีเทน (dai-klɔɔ-roo-dai-fii-nil-dtrai-klɔɔ-roo-ii-teen) — chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticide DDT