French word

empoisonner

Pronunciation

IPA/ɑ̃pwazone/

Meaning

  • verbpoison

Example

Elle a empoisonné la soupe.

She poisoned the soup.

Illustration for empoisonner (poison)

More examples

Il a essayé d'empoisonner l'eau du puits.

He tried to poison the well water.

Core concept

A spoonful of hidden poison moves from food or drink into a person's body.

Common phrases

  • empoisonner quelqu'un

    poison someone

  • empoisonner la nourriture

    poison the food

  • empoisonner l'eau

    poison the water

Similar words

intoxiquer: To make the body unwell with toxic substances or disease-causing bacteria.
contaminer: To render food or other objects unsafe through harmful substances or microbes.
tuer: To kill a human being or an animal.
nuire: To have a harmful effect on health or interests.

Definition in French

Rendre une personne malade ou la tuer en introduisant intentionnellement une substance toxique dans ses aliments, ses boissons ou son organisme.

Word origin

Empoisonner combines the prefix en- with Old French poison, which comes from Latin potionem, meaning 'drink', before developing its toxic sense.

Usage tips

  • Empoisonner is transitive, so the poisoned person or substance is a direct object: empoisonner quelqu'un or empoisonner un plat.

Related words

  • empoisonnementpoisoningnoun
  • empoisonnépoisonedadjective
  • empoisonneurpoisonernoun

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