King James Bible Dictionary

1. Heb. hemah, "heat," the poison of certain venomous reptiles (Deuteronomy 32:24, 33; Job 6:4; Psalms 58:4), causing inflammation.

2. Heb. rosh, "a head," a poisonous plant (Deuteronomy 29:18), growing luxuriantly (Hosea 10:4), of a bitter taste (Psalms 69:21; Lamentations 3:5), and coupled with wormwood; probably the poppy. This word is rendered "gall", q.v., (Deuteronomy 29:18; 32:33; Psalms 69:21; Jeremiah 8:14, etc.), "hemlock" (Hosea 10:4; Amos 6:12), and "poison" (Job 20:16), "the poison of asps," showing that the rosh was not exclusively a vegetable poison.

3. In Romans 3:13 (comp. Job 20:16; Psalms 140:3), James 3:8, as the rendering of the Greek ios.

POISON, noun poiz'n. [Latin pus.]

1. A substance which, when taken into the stomach, mixed with the blood or applied to the skin or flesh, proves fatal or deleterious by an action not mechanical; venom. The more active and virulent poisons destroy life in a short time; others are slow in their operation, others produce inflammation without proving fatal. In the application of poison much depends on the quantity.

2. Any thing infectious, malignant, or noxious to health; as the poison of pestilential diseases.

3. That which taints or destroys moral purity or health; as the poison of evil example; the poison of sin.

POIS'ON, verb transitive To infect with any thing fatal to life; as, to poison an arrow.

1. To attack, injure or kill by poison

He was so discouraged that he poisoned himself and died. 2 Macc.

2. To taint; to mar; to impair; as, discontent poisons the happiness of life.

Hast thou not

With thy false arts poison'd his people's loyalty?

3. To corrupt. Our youth are poisoned with false notions of honor, or with pernicious maxims of government.

To suffer the thoughts to be vitiated, is to poison the fountains of morality.

POIS'ONED, participle passive Infected or destroyed by poison.

POIS'ONER, noun One who poisons or corrupts; that which corrupts.

POIS'ONING, participle present tense Infecting with poison; corrupting.

POIS'ONOUS, adjective Venomous; having the qualities of poison; corrupting; impairing soundness of purity.

POIS'ONOUSLY, adverb With fatal or injurious effects; venomously.

POIS'ONOUSNESS, noun The quality of being fatal or injurious to health and soundness; venomousness.

POIS'ON-TREE, noun A tree that poisons the flesh. This name is given to a species of Rhus or sumac, the Rhus vernix or poison ash, a native of America; also to the bohun upas of Java.