antivenom

American

[an-tee-ven-uhm, an-tahy-] / ˌæn tiˈvɛn əm, ˌæn taɪ- /

Also antivenin

noun

an antitoxin present in the blood of an animal following repeated injections of venom.
the antitoxic serum obtained from such blood.

Etymology

Origin of antivenom

First recorded in 1890–95; earlier antiven(ene) ( anti- + venene ( def. ) ), from Latin venēnum “potion, poison” ( venom ) + -in ²

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In Nigeria what is known as a "polyvalent antivenom" is usually used to treat snakebites, which means it can be used for bites from a variety of snakes.

From BBC

"We rushed her to the hospital but there was no antivenom," he told the BBC.

From BBC

He was relating the events that led to his daughter's tragic death, which has raised serious concerns about how hospitals deal with snakebites, and the availability of antivenom across Nigeria, which has the world's third-highest incidence of snakebites.

From BBC

Ifunanya, a well-known soprano singer in Nigeria - finding fame a few years ago on the local version of the TV competition The Voice, knew she had to get antivenom at a hospital as soon as possible.

From BBC

But it is hard not to panic when one arrives at a hospital to find there is no antivenom, which happened to Ifunanya, meaning she had to go to another one.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023