Ratsbane (Noun)
Meaning
A white powdered poisonous trioxide of arsenic; used in manufacturing glass and as a pesticide (rat poison) and weed killer.
Classification
Nouns denoting substances.
Examples
- The old apothecary shop still had a dusty jar of ratsbane on its shelves, a relic of a bygone era.
- Farmers used to sprinkle ratsbane around the perimeter of their fields to keep pests from damaging their crops.
- The glassmaker carefully added a pinch of ratsbane to the molten mixture to create a vibrant green hue.
- In the 19th century, ratsbane was a common ingredient in rat poison, but its use has since been largely discontinued due to its toxicity.
- The gardener warned her children to stay away from the shed where she stored the ratsbane, used to kill weeds in the garden.