nocuous — harmful or poisonous; causing injury or damage
Part of speech: ADJECTIVE
Definition: harmful or poisonous; causing injury or damage
Pronunciation (IPA): /ˈnɑːkjuəs/
Example Sentences
- The factory secretly dumped nocuous waste into the river for years.
- My roommate's cooking is so bad it should come with a 'nocuous' warning label.
- Some snakes carry a venom that is instantly nocuous to small mammals.
nocuous
ADJECTIVE[/ˈnɑːkjuəs/]
harmful or poisonous; causing injury or damage
The nocuous fumes from the factory made nearby villagers cough and flee.
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
Nocuous derives from Latin nocuus (harmful), which is formed from the verb nocere (to harm, to injure). This Latin root has generated numerous English cognates including innocent (in- + nocere, meaning 'not harming'), innocuous (harmless), and noxious (harmful), with nocuous preserving the original sense of 'harmful' within this word family.
Breakdown
noc- (from Latin nocere, to harm) + -uous (adjective suffix, meaning 'full of' or 'characterized by'). The root nocere directly generates the quality adjective nocuus, which English adopted as nocuous.
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“The factory secretly dumped nocuous waste into the river for years.”
“My roommate's cooking is so bad it should come with a 'nocuous' warning label.”
“Some snakes carry a venom that is instantly nocuous to small mammals.”
“His nocuous gossip spread through the office like wildfire.”
“Don't confuse 'innocuous' with 'nocuous'—one is harmless, the other might send you to the hospital!”
📚Related Words
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