DDT

noun

ˌdē-(ˌ)dē-ˈtē 

: a colorless odorless water-insoluble insecticide C₁₄H₉Cl₅ that is an aromatic organochlorine banned in the U.S. that tends to accumulate and persist in ecosystems and has toxic effects on many vertebrates

Examples of DDT in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Bald eagles were among the first animals listed on the Endangered Species Act of 1973, and a coinciding ban on DDT allowed populations to start successfully reproducing again. —Jamie Siebrase, The Denver Post, 5 Feb. 2025

Pesticide called 'new DDT' has been found in CT waterways. —Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 3 Feb. 2025

In 1972, the government banned the pesticide DDT, which had caused their numbers to dwindle. —Julia Binswanger, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 Dec. 2024

Advertisement Their population rebounded from the brink of extinction thanks to the banning of DDT in 1972 and successful campaigns to protect their habitat and encourage their reproduction. —Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 28 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

dichlor- + diphenyl + trichlor- (from tri- + chlor-)

First Known Use

1943, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

DDT

noun

ˌdēd-(ˌ)ē-ˈtē 

: a colorless formerly used insecticide that is poisonous to many animals with backbones

Medical Definition

DDT

noun

ˌdē-(ˌ)dē-ˈtē 

: a colorless odorless water-insoluble crystalline insecticide C₁₄H₉Cl₅ that tends to accumulate in ecosystems and has toxic effects on many vertebrates

called also chlorophenothane, dicophane