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Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
ricin

poison obtained from the castor-oil bean, 1888, from ricinus, genus name of the castor-oil plant (1694), from Latin ricinus (Pliny), of uncertain origin, perhaps the same word as ricinus "tick" (in sheep, dogs, etc.).

Wiktionary
ricin

n. (context protein poison English) A toxic protein extracted from the castor bean.

WordNet
ricin

n. a toxic protein extracted from castor beans; used as a chemical reagent; can be used as a bioweapon; "one milligram of ricin can kill an adult" [syn: ricin toxin]

Wikipedia
Ricin

Ricin is a highly toxic, naturally occurring lectin (a carbohydrate-binding protein) produced in the seeds of the castor oil plant, Ricinus communis. A dose of purified ricin powder the size of a few grains of table salt can kill an adult human. The median lethal dose (LD) of ricin is around 22 micrograms per kilogram of body weight if the exposure is from injection or inhalation (1.78 milligram for an average adult). Oral exposure to ricin is far less toxic as some of the poison is inactivated in the stomach. An estimated lethal oral dose in humans is approximately 1 milligram per kilogram.

Usage examples of "ricin".

Congo-Crimean hemorrhagic fever, ricin, sarin, aflatoxin - and long-range missiles in Iraq.

Ricin is one of the potentially lethal vegetable alkaloids like taxine and digitalin.

He arranged communication and transportation for the ricin plotters, and he recruited the crew manning the Exo scout.

I happen to know that when Ricin is injected in small doses hypodermically immunity is produced, antiRicin is formed.

Ricin and abrin are vegetable protein toxins of enormous potency and exert a narcotic action.

So far, we have found chemical and biological weapons - brucella and Congo-Crimean hemorrhagic fever, ricin, sarin, aflatoxin - and long-range missiles in Iraq.

However, UNSCOM discovered that Iraq had also conducted research on Clostridium perfringens (which causes gangrene), ricin, and several viruses, including plague, as well.