urushiol

urushiol [oo-roo-shee-awl, -ol] Word Origin noun

1. a toxic, liquid, catechol derivative, the active irritant principle in several species of the plant genus Rhus, as in poison ivy.

Origin of urushiol 1910–15; Japanese urushi lacquer + -ol1 British Dictionary definitions for urushiol urushiol noun

1. a poisonous pale yellow liquid occurring in poison ivy and the lacquer tree

Word Origin for urushiol from Japanese urushi lacquer + -ol ² urushiol in Medicine urushiol [u-rōō′shē-ôl′, -ōl′] n.

1. A toxic substance constituting the active allergen of the irritant oil present in poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac.

urushiol in Science urushiol [u-rōō′shē-ôl′, -ōl′]

1. A toxic substance present in the resin or on the surface of plants of the genus Rhus (syn. Toxicodendron). Urushiol is a mixture of several derivatives of catechol and is the irritating substance in poison ivy.