Nicotine Is Named After a French Diplomat
Tobacco is a plant whose dried leaves are smoked. Its most famous compound is named after the man who sent it to the French court.
Tobacco is a plant of the nightshade family whose cured leaves are smoked or chewed. Its principal active compound carries a name from diplomacy: *nicotine* honours Jean Nicot, the French ambassador to Portugal who sent tobacco to Paris in the 1560s as a medicine. The plant's genus, *Nicotiana*, comes from the same name.
- A plant grown for its leaves. *A tobacco field.*
- The cured leaves. *Pipe tobacco.*
- Tobacco as a modifier. *The tobacco industry.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | tobacco | Rolling tobacco. |
| Plural | tobaccos | Blended tobaccos. |
| Related | nicotine | Nicotine content. |
| Related | Nicotiana | The genus Nicotiana. |
| Person | tobacconist | The tobacconist's shop. |
How it is used in a sentence
- Tobacco use remains a leading cause of preventable death.Public health.
- Nicotine is the addictive component.The tar and gases cause most of the harm.
- The tobacco was cured in a barn.Drying and processing the leaf.
Facts worth knowing
- Nightshade family — a relative of tomato, potato and aubergine
- Curing — drying leaves by air, flue or fire, which develops the flavour
- Nicotine — a stimulant and the addictive component
- Tar and carbon monoxide — where most of the health harm comes from
- Framework Convention — the World Health Organization treaty on tobacco control
From Spanish *tabaco*, probably from a Taíno word for a pipe or a roll of leaves rather than for the plant itself. It reached Europe in the sixteenth century.
Is nicotine what makes smoking harmful?
Nicotine drives the addiction. Most of the disease burden comes from tar, carbon monoxide and other combustion products.
Who was Nicot?
Jean Nicot, French ambassador to Portugal, who promoted tobacco as a remedy at the French court. Both nicotine and Nicotiana are named after him.