Standard Lemma guide

ricin

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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  • rhymes with -aɪsɪn
  • rhymes with -aɪsən
  • /ˈɹaɪsɪn/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

An extremely toxic lectin extracted from the castor bean.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

Topics: biochemistry, biology, chemistry, medicine, microbiology, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, sciences, toxicology

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

a toxic protein extracted from castor beans; used as a chemical reagent; can be used as a bioweapon

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • one milligram of ricin can kill an adult

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: ricin toxin

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: albumin, albumen, toxin

History

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin ricinus.

Across languages

Translations

17 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: رِيْسِيْن (riysiyn) — poison
  • Armenian: ռիցին (ṙicʻin) — poison
  • Bulgarian: рици́н (ricín) — poison
  • Chinese Mandarin: 蓖麻毒素 (bìmá dúsù) — poison
  • Dutch: ricine — poison
  • Finnish: risiinimyrkky — poison
  • Finnish: risiini — poison
  • French: ricine — poison
  • German: Rizin — poison
  • Italian: ricina — poison
  • Japanese: リシン (rishin) — poison
  • Polish: rycyna — poison
  • Portuguese: ricina — poison
  • Romanian: ricină — poison
  • Russian: рици́н (ricín) — poison
  • Spanish: ricino — poison
  • Turkish: risin — poison