saxitoxin
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Related to saxitoxin: domoic acid, Paralytic shellfish poisoning
sax·i·tox·in
(săk′sĭ-tŏk′sĭn)n.
A potent neurotoxin produced by certain dinoflagellates that accumulates in shellfish feeding on these organisms and consequently causes food poisoning in humans who eat the shellfish.
[New Latin Saxi(domus gigantēus), butter clam (in which the toxin was first recognized) (from Latin saxum, stone; see saxifrage) + toxin.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
saxitoxin
(ˌsæksɪˈtɒksɪn)n
a poisonous alkaloid (C10H17N7O4) produced by dinoflagellates of the genus Gonyaulax that build up in molluscs and cause food poisoning in humans
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
sax•i•tox•in
(ˌsæk sɪˈtɒk sɪn)n.
a neurotoxin produced by the dinoflagellate Gonyaulax catenella, the causative agent of red tide.
[1960–65; < New Latin Saxi(domus), a clam genus infected by the dinoflagellates (Latin sax(um) stone + -i- -i- + domus house) + toxin]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
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| Noun | 1. | saxitoxin - a powerful neurotoxin produced by certain dinoflagellates found in red tides; it can accumulate in mollusks that feed on the dinoflagellates and cause food poisoning to humans neurolysin, neurotoxin - any toxin that affects neural tissues |
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