Dictionary
Find
in
Dictionary
Thesaurus
Translations

Click to move up the list of words
rich text
Richard Roe
Richardson’s ground squirrel
riches
richly
Richmond
Richmond-upon-Thames
Richter scale
ricin
ricinoleic acid
ricinuleid
rick (1)
rick (2)
rickets
rickettsia
rickettsial pox
rickety
Click to move down the list of words
Print Preview
See pronunciation key
Search for "ricin" in all of MSN Encarta
E-mail this entry
Blog about this entry on MSN Spaces
Download the MSN Encarta Right-Click Dictionary

ricin

ri·cin [ rss'n, ríss'n ]


noun 
Definition:
 
toxic plant substance: a highly toxic protein. Source: seeds of the castor oil plant. Use: destruction of cancer cells in treatments such as bone marrow transplants.

[Late 19th century. < Latin ricinus "castor oil plant"]
Advertisement

Also on Encarta
Englishtown: Learn English online
Our Partners
Also on MSN
Encarta Message Boards (© Rubberball/Jupiterimages)
Shopping
© 2009 Microsoft