empoisonnement

poisoning

noun ahm-pwah-zon-MAHN Rare

Usage Note

Empoisonnement covers both accidental poisoning and deliberate poisoning; context and a legal register distinguish the two. The verb empoisonner also has a figurative sense meaning 'to make someone's life miserable', so il m'empoisonne la vie is a common colloquial complaint. Food poisoning is more specifically une intoxication alimentaire.

Examples

"L'empoisonnement a été détecté rapidement."

Natural Translation

The poisoning was detected quickly.

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