nerve agent
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nerve agent
n.
Any of various poisonous compounds, dispersed in vapor or aerosol form, that interfere with the functioning of nerves by inhibiting acetylcholinesterase. Also called nerve gas.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
nerve agent
A potentially lethal chemical agent which interferes with the transmission of nerve impulses.
Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms. US Department of Defense 2005.
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Noun | 1. | nerve agent - a toxic gas that is inhaled or absorbed through the skin and has harmful effects on the nervous and respiratory system agent - a substance that exerts some force or effect VX gas - a highly lethal nerve agent used in chemical warfare; a toxic liquid that penetrates the skin or lungs to disrupt the nervous system and stop respiration; in combat VX gas is deployed by detonating a container over the target area and can persist in the environment up to several weeks after release; "VX gas is one of those things we wish we could disinvent" organophosphate nerve agent - any of a series of nerve agents containing organophosphate compounds first synthesized by German chemists in 1936; in World War II the Germans tested them in concentration camps but not on the battlefield; Iraq is alleged to have used them against Iran and against the Kurds poison gas - a gas that is poisonous to breath or contact; used in chemical warfare |
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