The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
n. A poisonous substance, especially a protein, that is produced by living cells or organisms and is capable of causing disease when introduced into the body tissues but is often also capable of inducing neutralizing antibodies or antitoxins.
n. A toxic or poisonous substance produced by the biological processes of biological organisms.
the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English
n. A poisonous product formed by an organism, such as a pathogenic bacterium, a plant or an animal, usually having a high molecular weight, often a protein or a polysaccharide, but occasionally a low-molecular weight agent such as tetrodotoxin.
The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
n. A specific poison of albuminous character, immunization with which leads to the production of a specific antitoxin.
n. Any toxic ptomaine.
WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
n. a poisonous substance produced during the metabolism and growth of certain microorganisms and some higher plant and animal species
Word Usage
"Today the term toxin is used to described anything that is foreign or poisonous to the body."