nic·o·tine
n : a poisonous alkaloid C10H14N2 that is the chief active principle of tobacco and that is used as an insecticide Ni•cot, Jean (1530?-1600), French diplomat. While French ambassador to Portugal, Nicot introduced tobacco to France by sending tobacco seeds as a gift to the French court in 1560. Linnaeus named the plant genus Nicotiana in his honor in 1753.
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