"This deadly poison makes your lips burn, and gives you bad breath." -- www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/sci_tech/features/health/tobaccotrial/inacigarette.htm

ar·se·nic   Pronunciation Key  (ärs-nk)
n.
  1. Symbol As A highly poisonous metallic element having three allotropic forms, yellow, black, and gray, of which the brittle, crystalline gray is the most common. Arsenic and its compounds are used in insecticides, weed killers, solid-state doping agents, and various alloys. Atomic number 33; atomic weight 74.922; valence 3, 5. Gray arsenic melts at 817°C (at 28 atm pressure), sublimes at 613°C, and has a specific gravity of 5.73. See table at element.
  2. Arsenic trioxide.

[Middle English arsenik, from Old French, from Latin arsenicum, from Greek arsenikon, yellow orpiment, alteration of Syriac zarnk, from Middle Persian *zarnk, from Old Iranian *zarna-, golden. See ghel-2 in Indo-European Roots.]
Source: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.


arsenic

\Ar*sen"ic\, a. (Chem.) Pertaining to, or derived from, arsenic; -- said of those compounds of arsenic in which this element has its highest equivalence; as, arsenic acid.
Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.


arsenic

\Ar"se*nic\ ([aum]r"s[-e]*n[i^]k; 277), n. [L. arsenicum, Gr. 'arseniko`n, 'arreniko`n, yellow orpiment, perh. fr. 'arseniko`s or better Attic 'arreniko`s masculine, 'a`rrhn male, on account of its strength, or fr. Per. zern[=i]kh: cf. F. arsenic.] 1. (Chem.) One of the elements, a solid substance resembling a metal in its physical properties, but in its chemical relations ranking with the nonmetals. It is of a steel-gray color and brilliant luster, though usually dull from tarnish. It is very brittle, and sublimes at 356[deg] Fahrenheit. It is sometimes found native, but usually combined with silver, cobalt, nickel, iron, antimony, or sulphur. Orpiment and realgar are two of its sulphur compounds, the first of which is the true arsenicum of the ancients. The element and its compounds are active poisons. Specific gravity from 5.7 to 5.9. Atomic weight 75. Symbol As.
Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.


arsenic

n 1: a white powdered poisonous trioxide of arsenic; used in manufacturing glass and as a pesticide and weed killer [syn: arsenic trioxide, arsenous anhydride, arsenous oxide] 2: a very poisonous metallic element that has three allotropic forms; arsenic and arsenic compounds are used as herbicides and insecticides and various alloys; found in arsenopyrite and orpiment and realgar [syn: As, atomic number 33]
Source: WordNet ® 1.6, © 1997 Princeton University


arsenic
Symbol: As
Atomic number: 33
Atomic weight: 74.922
Metalloid element of group 15. There are three allotropes, yellow, black, and grey. Reacts with halogens, concentrated oxidizing acids and hot alkalis. Albertus Magnus is believed to have been the first to isolate the element in 1250.
Source: The Elements