nicotine Look up nicotine at Dictionary.com
"poisonous alkaloid found in tobacco leaves," 1819, from Fr. nicotine, from Mod.L. Nicotiana, formal botanical name for the tobacco plant, named for Jean Nicot (c.1530-1600), Fr. ambassador to Portugal, who sent tobacco seeds and powdered leaves back to France 1561. His name is a dim. of Nicolas.