asphyxiant, a. and n.
(æsˈfɪksɪənt)
[f. asphyxia + -ant.]
A. adj. Causing asphyxia. B. n. Any chemical substance that causes asphyxia.
| 1854 Englishwoman in Russia 302 Long-range guns and asphyxiant balls. 1888 Chambers's Encycl. I. 501 The term asphyxiants is applied to any gases having a suffocating..effect on the human system. 1921 19th Cent. July 34 If in the Great War we had refused to use asphyxiant gas. |