ptomaine Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun any of various amines (such as putrescine or cadaverine) formed by the action of putrefactive bacteria
    ptomain.
  2. noun a term for food poisoning that is no longer in scientific use; food poisoning was once thought to be caused by ingesting ptomaines
    ptomaine poisoning.

WordNet

Pto"ma*ine noun
Etymology
From Gr. a dead body.
Definitions
  1. (Physiol. Chem.) One of a class of animal bases or alkaloids formed in the putrefaction of various kinds of albuminous matter, and closely related to the vegetable alkaloids; a cadaveric poison. The ptomaines, as a class, have their origin in dead matter, by which they are to be distinguished from the leucomaines.

Webster 1913