'Ptomaine' definitions:
Definition of 'ptomaine'
(from WordNet)
noun
Any of various amines (such as putrescine or cadaverine) formed by the action of putrefactive bacteria [syn: ptomaine, ptomain]
noun
A term for food poisoning that is no longer in scientific use; food poisoning was once thought to be caused by ingesting ptomaines [syn: ptomaine, ptomaine poisoning]
Definition of 'Ptomaine'
From: GCIDE
- Ptomaine \Pto"ma*ine\, n. [From Gr. ? a dead body.] (Physiol. Chem.) One of a class of animal bases or alkaloids formed in the putrefaction of various kinds of albuminous matter, and closely related to the vegetable alkaloids; a cadaveric poison. The ptomaines, as a class, have their origin in dead matter, by which they are to be distinguished from the leucomaines. [1913 Webster]