- poison
- early 13c., "a deadly potion," from O.Fr. puison (12c.) "a drink," later "a potion, poisonous drink" (14c.), from L. potionem (nom. potio) "a drink," also "poisonous drink," from potare "to drink" (see potion). The O.E. word was ator (see attercop) or lybb. Slang sense of "alcoholic drink" first attested 1805, Amer.Eng. The verb is c.1300, from the noun. Related: Poisoned; poisoning. Poison ivy first recorded 1784; poison oak is from 1743. Poison gas first recorded 1915. Poison-pen (letter) popularized 1913 by a notorious criminal case in Pennsylvania, U.S.; it may date back to 1908. In many Germanic languages "poison" is euphemistically named by a word equivalent to English gift (cf. O.H.G. gift, Dan., Swed. gift; Du. gift, vergift). This choice might have been aided by Gk. dosis "a portion prescribed," lit. "a giving," used by Galen and other Greek physicians to mean an amount of medicine (see dose).