organochlorine

adjective

or·​gan·​o·​chlo·​rine ˌȯr-gə-nō-ˈklȯr-ˌēn How to pronounce organochlorine (audio)
ȯr-ˌga-nə-,
-ən
: of, relating to, or being a chlorinated hydrocarbon and especially one used as a pesticide (such as aldrin, DDT, or dieldrin)
organochlorine noun

Examples of organochlorine in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Plastic in the ocean or bodies of water also attracts pollutants like heavy metals and organic contaminants, such as organochlorine pesticides, which are attracted to plastic’s water-repellent surface. Jillian Mock, Discover Magazine, 11 Jan. 2020 Tribal biologists have already sampled seals and sea lions for organochlorine pesticides such as DDT and found them at lower levels than elsewhere in California. Louis Sahagúnstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2022 Less partisan actors noted that organochlorine pesticides like DDT had only been replaced by organophosphate pesticides, which are far deadlier than their more famous cousins. Scott W. Stern, The New Republic, 31 May 2022 In an early skirmish, the state of Mississippi provided farmers with chlordane, an indiscriminate, organochlorine pesticide long since banned. Elizabeth Kolbert, The New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2021 Other state officials had suggested that an organochlorine substance, found in pesticides, may have poisoned the patients. Ryan W. Miller, USA TODAY, 8 Dec. 2020

Word History

First Known Use

1961, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of organochlorine was in 1961

Dictionary Entries Near organochlorine

Cite this Entry

“Organochlorine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/organochlorine. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

Medical Definition

organochlorine

adjective
or·​gan·​o·​chlo·​rine ȯr-ˌgan-ə-ˈklō(ə)r-ˌēn, -ˈklȯ(ə)r-, -ən How to pronounce organochlorine (audio)
: of, relating to, or being a chlorinated hydrocarbon and especially one used as a pesticide (as aldrin, DDT, or dieldrin)
organochlorine noun
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