## Meanings
1. A substance that can harm or kill a living thing if it is swallowed, breathed in, or absorbed.
2. Something that does great harm to a person, relationship, or situation.
3. To harm or kill someone or something with poison.
4. To spoil or damage something good, such as a relationship or attitude.

## Examples
- The bottle was clearly marked as poison.
- Jealousy can be a poison in any marriage.
- They poisoned the king's wine.
- Constant criticism slowly poisoned their friendship.

## Derived Forms
- antipoison
- counterpoison
- empoison
- impoison
- outpoison
- poison-ivy
- poison-nut
- poisonability
- poisonable
- poisonberry
- poisoner
- poisonful

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *peh₃-
- Root: poysoun
- Root: poison
- Root: pōtio

## Etymology
From Middle English poysoun, poyson, pusoun, from Old French poison, poisun, from Latin pōtiōnem (“drink, a draught, a poisonous draught, a potion”), from pōtō (“to drink”). See also potion and potable (from the same root). Mostly displaced native Old English ātor. See more at atter.

## AI Etymology
Poison comes from Middle English poysoun, poyson, pusoun, from Old French poison, poisun, from Latin pōtiōnem (“drink, a draught, a poisonous draught, a potion”), from pōtō (“to drink”). See also potion and potable (from the same root). Mostly displaced native Old English ātor. See more at atter. In present-day English it covers a substance that can harm or kill a living thing if it is swallowed, breathed in, or absorbed, something that does great harm to a person, relationship, or situation, and to harm or kill someone or something with poison. The wider family includes derived forms such as antipoison, counterpoison, empoison, impoison, outpoison.

## Topics
- People & Society

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poison

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