A salt or ester of arsenious acid, containing the AsO₃³⁻ ion, used in pesticides, herbicides, and historical medicines.
From Latin 'arsenicum' (arsenic) + '-ite' (mineral or salt suffix), where '-ite' denotes a chemical salt or compound derived from an oxyacid.
Arsenites were actually used as medicines in the 1800s and considered cutting-edge treatment—doctors didn't realize they were slowly poisoning patients, which is a sobering reminder that 'new medicine' isn't always 'safe medicine'!
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