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cin·er·in

(sĭnər-ĭn)

Either of two viscous liquid esters, C₂₀H₂₈O₃ or C₂₁H₂₈O₅, occurring naturally in pyrethrum plants and used as insecticides.

[New Latin ciner(ariifolium), specific epithet of Tanacetum cinerariifolium, the species of pyrethrum from which the esters were originally derived (Latin cinerārius, of or for ashes (in reference to the cinereous leaves), from cinis, ciner-, ashes + folium, leaf) + -IN.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

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Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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