Revised as of
17 Dec 2022
Donna Andrews wrote of the difference between poisonous and venomous in her story The Falcon Always Wings Twice, and I found it fascinating.
It seems that both are a toxic substance — biologically produced chemicals that alter the normal function of another organism — but how that substance is delivered is what makes the difference between whether it’s considered poisonous or venomous.
Poisonous only hurts you if you bite into it (or drink it), touch it, or disturb it, which makes mushrooms, pufferfish, poison ivy, hemlock, etc., poisonous.
Venomous is an injected venom, which makes snakes, spiders, bees, wasps, scorpions, jellyfish, etc., venomous by means of their fangs, spines, or stingers.
Word Confusions . . .
. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.
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| Poisonous | Venomous |
|---|---|
Amanita by magura727 is under the Pixabay License, via Pixabay. — A poisonous mushroom. |
Venomous Rattlesnake is under the CC0 license, via Needpix.com. |
| Part of Grammar: | |
| Adjective | Adjective |
[Of a substance or plant] Causing or capable of causing death or illness if taken into/onto the body
|
[Of animals, especially snakes, or their parts] Having a gland or glands for secreting a poisonous substance
Full of or containing venom [Of a person or their behavior] Full of malice or spite
|
| Examples: | |
| The factory is dumping poisonous chemicals into the river.
“Are there . . . um . . . are there poisonous plants around here?” The air was poisonous. If you have children, keep any poisonous substances locked up. Antifreeze is poisonous to animals. The rumors spreading throughout the building were poisonous. There was a poisonous atmosphere at the office. Her poisonous efforts were laughed at. |
He was a leading expert on venomous snakes.
It was a venomous wound. He concocted venomous potions. She replied with a venomous glance. It was a venomous attack from a woman with a venomous tongue. |
| Derivatives: | |
| Adjective: nonpoisonous Adverb: nonpoisonously, poisonously Noun: poisonousness |
Adjective: nonvenomous Adverb: nonvenomously, venomously Noun: venomousness |
| History of the Word: | |
| This was first recorded in 1565–75, from poison + -ous. | Middle English from the Old French venimeux, from venim, a variant of venin, from an alteration of the Latin venenum meaning poison. |
C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!
Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.
Resources for Poisonous versus Venomous
Apple Dictionary.com
Dictionary.com: poisonous, venomous
Fry, Assoc Prof Bryan and Dr Timothy Jackson, peer reviewers. Unknown author. “Poison vs Venom.” n.d. Australian Academy of Science. 2 Sept 2020. <https://www.science.org.au/curious/people-medicine/poison-vs-venom>.
Venzel, Stacey. “Venom vs Poison vs Toxins: What’s the Difference?” 2019. WideOpenPets.com. 2 Sept 2020. <https://www.wideopenpets.com/difference-toxin-venom-poison/>.
Pinterest Photo Credits:
Poison Flask is under the CC0 license, via pxfuel. Scorpion by 4130 is under the Pixabay License, via Pixabay. The background for Scorpion was removed and the image flipped horizontally in Photoshop.
