arsenic
noun · adjective
Simple meaning
A toxic grey brittle nonmetallic chemical element with an atomic number of 33.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
ahrsuhnikSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈɑɹsənɪk
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A toxic grey brittle nonmetallic chemical element (symbol As) with an atomic number of 33.
countable
A single atom of this element.
adjective
chemistry
Of or containing arsenic with a valence of 5.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate (estimated)
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Formality
- Technical
- Typical Use
- Varies by meaning
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A toxic grey brittle nonmetallic chemical element (symbol As) with an atomic number of 33.
Used this way, arsenic is a specialist word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. This is a scientific use: it names something precisely within a field of study, so it appears in research and teaching more than in conversation.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Specialist/technical
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Specialized
- Connotation
- Clinical and technical
- Usage feel
- Technical and specialized
Where it naturally appears
- Science
- Academic writing
- Technical/specialist writing
Usage note
In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.
Nearby words
- arsenic trioxide , a specialist term, precise but narrower
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
All the weapons and equipment that a country has.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
The univalent group derived from arsine.
An acid formed from arsenic pentoxide.
A white powdered poisonous trioxide of arsenic.
A white powdered poisonous trioxide of arsenic.
Related words
Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.
A white powdered poisonous trioxide of arsenic.
A white powdered poisonous trioxide of arsenic.
Related Words
Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: toxic grey brittle nonmetallic chemical element (symbol As) with an atomic number of 33
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