n. A toxic protein extracted from the castor bean.
The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
n. An albuminoid substance of poisonous character obtained in small quantity from the seeds of the castor-oil plant, Ricinus communis.
WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
n. a toxic protein extracted from castor beans; used as a chemical reagent; can be used as a bioweapon
Word Usage
"I was listening to people just last night, and, really, they weren't able to articulate the name ricin, and listen to do a group of people trying to explain it to others, what ricin was."