NYT Dictionary

EXOTOXIN

/ˈɛksoʊtɑksɪn/

NounEX-o-tox-inex-o-tox-in · 4 syllablesAdvanced/Professional

Accepted in official NYT Spelling Bee puzzle years: 2020, 2023, 2025

Meaning

Any toxin secreted by a microorganism into the surrounding environment.

Etymology

Origin: Middle English

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁éǵʰ Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *h₁eǵʰs Proto-Hellenic *eks Ancient Greek ἐκ (ek) Ancient Greek ἔξω (éxō)der. English exo- Undeterminedder.? Ancient Greek τόξον (tóxon) Proto-Indo-European *-kos Proto-Hellenic *-kos Ancient Greek -κός (-kós) Ancient Greek -ῐκός (-ĭkós) Ancient Greek τοξῐκός (toxĭkós) Ancient Greek τοξικόν (toxikón)der. Latin toxicum Proto-Indo-European *-nós Proto-Indo-European *-iHnos Proto-Italic *-īnos Latin -īnusder. Old French -inbor. Middle English -in English -ineclip. English -in English toxin English exotoxin From exo- + toxin.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Antonyms

endotoxin

NYT Puzzle Appearances

No published puzzle dates on file for this word yet. It is part of the official NYT Spelling Bee word list for 2020, 2023, 2025.