A poisonous substance produced by the bacterium that causes diphtheria, which damages heart and nerve cells in infected people.
From Greek 'diphthera' (leather membrane) + 'toxin' (poison). The term combines the name of the disease (characterized by a leathery throat membrane) with the -toxin suffix referring to harmful bacterial proteins.
This toxin was one of the first bacterial poisons scientists could isolate and study, leading to the development of antitoxins and vaccines that saved millions of lives in the early 1900s—before antibiotics existed!
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.