NERVE AGENT

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does nerve agent mean? 

• NERVE AGENT (noun)
  The noun NERVE AGENT has 1 sense:

1. a toxic gas that is inhaled or absorbed through the skin and has harmful effects on the nervous and respiratory system

  Familiarity information: NERVE AGENT used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• NERVE AGENT (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A toxic gas that is inhaled or absorbed through the skin and has harmful effects on the nervous and respiratory system

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Synonyms:

nerve agent; nerve gas

Hypernyms ("nerve agent" is a kind of...):

agent (a substance that exerts some force or effect)

poison gas (a gas that is poisonous to breath or contact; used in chemical warfare)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "nerve agent"):

VX gas (a highly lethal nerve agent used in chemical warfare; a toxic liquid that penetrates the skin or lungs to disrupt the nervous system and stop respiration; in combat VX gas is deployed by detonating a container over the target area and can persist in the environment up to several weeks after release)

organophosphate nerve agent (any of a series of nerve agents containing organophosphate compounds first synthesized by German chemists in 1936; in World War II the Germans tested them in concentration camps but not on the battlefield; Iraq is alleged to have used them against Iran and against the Kurds)

 Context examples 

Examples are nerve agents such as sarin and VX.

(Chemical Emergencies, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)