MUSTARD GAS

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does mustard gas mean? 

• MUSTARD GAS (noun)
  The noun MUSTARD GAS has 1 sense:

1. a toxic war gas with sulfide based compounds that raises blisters and attacks the eyes and lungs; there is no known antidote

  Familiarity information: MUSTARD GAS used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• MUSTARD GAS (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A toxic war gas with sulfide based compounds that raises blisters and attacks the eyes and lungs; there is no known antidote

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Synonyms:

blistering agent; dichloroethyl sulfide; mustard agent; mustard gas; sulfur mustard

Hypernyms ("mustard gas" is a kind of...):

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

vesicant; vesicatory (a chemical agent that causes blistering (especially mustard gas))

 Context examples 

A group of alkylating agents derived from mustard gas, with the sulfur replaced by nitrogen.

(Nitrogen Mustard Compound, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)

Mustard gas is a mutagen and is a known carcinogen that is associated with an increased risk of developing lung and other respiratory tract cancers.

(Mustard Gas, NCI Thesaurus)

Mustard gas is a vesicant that was first used in chemical warfare in World War I, but is now only used in small amounts in research studies involving alkylating agents.

(Mustard Gas, NCI Thesaurus)