nicotine

noun nee-koh-TEEN Rare

Origin: Named after Jean Nicot, the French ambassador who introduced tobacco to France in the 16th century.

Usage Note

Nicotine is the addictive alkaloid found in tobacco plants and is used in the same form in French as in English. The related adjective nicotinique appears in medical contexts (e.g., patch nicotinique — 'nicotine patch'). French public health campaigns often use la dépendance à la nicotine ('nicotine dependence') as a standard phrase.

Examples

"La nicotine crée une forte dépendance."

Natural Translation

Nicotine creates a strong dependency.

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