What does cyanide mean?
Cyanide is a general term for a family of fast-acting, extremely poisonous compounds that all contain the cyanide group, a carbon atom triple-bonded to a nitrogen atom (–C≡N). The most familiar examples are sodium cyanide and potassium cyanide, solid salts once notorious as agents of murder and suicide, and hydrogen cyanide, a volatile liquid used in gas-chamber executions and fumigation. Cyanide kills by blocking cells' ability to use oxygen, which is why even tiny doses can be fatal within minutes. Yet despite its sinister reputation, cyanide is indispensable to industry: large quantities are used to extract gold and silver from ore, in electroplating, and in producing plastics and other chemicals. The word derives from 'cyanogen', itself coined from Greek kyanos ('blue') because of its association with the pigment Prussian blue. Today cyanide appears most often in chemistry, crime fiction, forensic reporting, and news of industrial accidents.
nounCyanide is any of a class of highly poisonous compounds containing the cyanide group (CN), especially potassium or sodium cyanide; it also refers to the negatively charged CN⁻ ion itself.
- A highly toxic compound containing the CN group, such as sodium or potassium cyanide, used in industry (mining, electroplating) and historically in chemical warfare and executions.
- The cyanide anion (CN⁻) itself, or a salt/ester containing it.
"The gold was extracted from the ore using a dilute cyanide solution."
"Miners leached the precious metal from crushed ore with a weak cyanide solution."
"The detective suspected cyanide when she noticed the faint scent of bitter almonds."
The plural is used when referring to multiple distinct cyanide compounds, not multiple amounts of one substance.
"Both potassium and sodium cyanides are handled as hazardous materials."
The smell of bitter almonds — famously detected in detective fiction — comes from hydrogen cyanide, yet roughly a third of people genetically cannot smell it at all.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cyanide
The word cyanide derives from cyanogen, the name given in the early nineteenth century to the radical C₂N₂, so called from Greek kyanos meaning dark blue — a nod to the blue pigments produced from iron cyanides, notably Prussian blue. It entered English in the early 1800s as chemists named the salts derived from cyanogen. Related terms sharing this root include cyanic acid, cyano- compounds, and cyanate.
Related word forms
How cyanide is actually used
Cyanide carries strongly negative connotations due to its association with poisoning and death, but it is a routine industrial reagent in mining and manufacturing. In chemistry it refers both to the anion CN⁻ and to specific compounds such as potassium cyanide (KCN) and hydrogen cyanide (HCN).
Easily confused with cyanide
Cyanate (OCN⁻) contains oxygen as well as carbon and nitrogen, whereas cyanide (CN⁻) consists only of carbon and nitrogen and is far more toxic.