Botulin
/ˈbɒtjʊlɪn/noun
A poisonous protein produced by Clostridium botulinum, associated with botulism and used in purified form for medical and cosmetic injections.
Did you know?The name arose after 19th-century investigations connected botulism with sausages, especially in German-speaking Europe; Latin botulus means “sausage.”
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Latin
Latin
botulus
“Sausage or blood sausage”
Late Latin
Latin
botulinus
“Of or resembling a sausage; a diminutive form related to botulus”
19th Century
German
Botulismus
“A form of food poisoning associated with sausage and other preserved meats”
1895
Latin scientific nomenclature
Clostridium botulinum
“The bacterial species name meaning roughly “sausage-associated,” referring to the disease’s link with meat”
Late 19th–Early 20th Century
English
botulin
“The poisonous substance produced by the botulism-causing bacterium”
Modern English
English
botulin
“A neurotoxic protein, especially botulinum toxin used therapeutically or cosmetically”