Harmful, poisonous, or very unpleasant; physically or morally destructive.
From Latin 'noxius,' from 'noxa' meaning 'harm' or 'injury.' The root 'nox-' appears in words like 'innocent' (not harmful) and connects to the idea of causing damage or hurt.
Think 'noxious' as 'nox-ious' where 'nox' sounds like 'knocks'—noxious fumes knock you out! The word has the same root as 'obnoxious,' both describing things that cause harm or offense.
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