Dieldrin

/ˈdiːldərɪn/ noun

Definition

A highly toxic synthetic insecticide that was widely used in agriculture but has been banned in most countries due to environmental and health concerns.

Etymology

Named after its German discoverers Karl Dietrich, Otto Diels, and Kurt Alder, with the chemical suffix '-in.' Developed in 1948 as an agricultural pesticide.

Kelly Says

Dieldrin was so effective at killing insects that it accumulated in the fatty tissues of animals higher up the food chain, causing eagle eggs to break and nearly driving eagles to extinction—it's a textbook example of bioaccumulation.

Related Words

Explore More Words

Get the Word Orb API

Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.