p-o-i-s-o-n
POISON is a substance that causes injury, illness, or death when introduced to an organism. From ancient hemlock to modern toxins, poison has shaped history, literature, and science. Worth 8 base points in Scrabble, POISON offers solid scoring with its 3-point P and perfect vowel-consonant balance.
8
Points in Scrabble
Base tile values • No multipliers applied
POISON is a valid word in Scrabble and other word games. This word can earn you valuable points due to its letter composition.
"Poison" traces its roots through a fascinating linguistic journey that reveals changing attitudes toward substances and power. From Old French "poison" or "puison," the word originally meant simply "a drink" or "a potion.” This derives from Latin "potio" (a drink), sharing ancestry with "potion." The sinister shift in meaning—from any drink to a harmful one—occurred during the medieval period, when poisoning became a feared method of assassination. This semantic darkening reflects a society where any drink from an untrusted source could bring death.
The Latin root "potare" (to drink) connects poison to an entire family of liquid-related words: potion, potable, potation, and even symposium (from Greek, literally "drinking together"). This etymology reveals how closely early concepts of poison were tied to ingestion. Before chemistry could identify toxins, "poison" essentially meant "dangerous thing to drink"—reflecting the most common and feared route of administration in medieval courts.
Indo-European roots illuminate deeper connections. The reconstructed root *pō(i)- or *pī- relates to drinking and swallowing, appearing across language families. Sanskrit "pāti" (drinks), Greek "pinein" (to drink), and Old Church Slavonic "piti" (to drink) all share this ancient root. The universality suggests that distinguishing safe from dangerous drinks was a fundamental human concern, embedded in our earliest languages.
The word's meaning expanded over centuries to encompass any harmful substance, regardless of administration route. By the 14th century, "poison" could refer to venom from bites or stings. The 16th century saw metaphorical uses—"poisoned minds" and "poisonous tongues." The industrial age added environmental poisons, while the information age brought "toxic" as a synonym for harmful ideas or relationships. Each era redefines poison according to its fears.
Related terms reveal the concept's evolution:
Legal language preserves older meanings. "Poisonous tree doctrine" in law refers to evidence tainted by illegal collection. "Poison pill" describes corporate defense strategies. These metaphors show how "poison" retains its sense of corruption spreading from a single source. The word's power lies not just in denoting danger, but in suggesting hidden contamination that spreads unseen until too late.
Substances:
Actions:
Related Words:
Paracelsus's famous principle states that all substances are poisons—only the dose determines toxicity. Water can kill through hyponatremia, while deadly botulinum toxin treats wrinkles in tiny doses. This fundamental concept underlies all of toxicology and pharmacology, reminding us that "poison" is not an inherent property but a relationship between substance, dose, and organism.
Ingestion
Through digestive system
Inhalation
Through respiratory system
Dermal
Through skin absorption
Injection
Direct into bloodstream
Throughout history, certain poisons have gained infamy for their use in assassinations, executions, and intrigue. These substances shaped political landscapes and inspired both fear and fascination.
Used to execute Socrates in 399 BCE. Contains coniine, causing paralysis ascending from the feet while leaving the mind clear until death.
The "inheritance powder" of Renaissance Europe. Tasteless and causing symptoms resembling natural illness, making murder difficult to detect.
Notorious for its almond scent and rapid action. Used in gas chambers and suicide pills, it prevents cellular oxygen use.
From castor beans, famously used in the 1978 umbrella assassination of Bulgarian dissident Georgi Markov in London.
"The poison spread through his system within minutes of ingestion."
Medical/literal context
"Her words were poison, destroying friendships with carefully placed rumors."
Metaphorical context
"One person's medicine is another person's poison."
Proverbial usage
"I played POISON using the P on a triple letter score for 21 points!"
Word game context
Total base points: 8 (Scrabble)
Vowels: 3 | Consonants: 3
POISON delivers reliable 8-point value through its 3-point P. The word's perfect 3:3 vowel-consonant ratio makes it excellent for balancing difficult racks. Common letters ensure high playability, while the S provides valuable hooking potential for future plays.
POISON accepts multiple extensions: POISONS (plural), POISONER (agent noun), and POISONING (gerund). In some dictionaries, UNPOISON is valid. The word also works well for parallel plays due to its common letters forming many two-letter combinations.
💡 Pro Tip:
POISON excels as a "building block" word. Its common letters make it easy to play through existing words, often scoring in multiple directions. The S is particularly valuable—consider whether using it for POISON's 8 points is worth more than saving it for a potential 50+ point play later.
Poison occupies a unique space in human culture—simultaneously feared and fascinating. It represents the ultimate betrayal, the hidden danger, the weapon of the weak against the strong. This cultural weight makes "poison" one of our most emotionally charged words, carrying implications far beyond its chemical definition.
Literature and media have long been obsessed with poison. From Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet to Breaking Bad's ricin plots, poison provides dramatic tension through its delayed action and difficult detection. The poisoner archetype—often female, always calculating—reflects societal anxieties about domestic spaces and trusted relationships becoming dangerous.
Wasting the S
The S in POISON is valuable for hooks and plurals. Before playing POISON, check if you can score more by using the S to pluralize an existing high-value word.
Missing POIS
POIS is a valid 4-letter word (plural of POI, Hawaiian food). If you can't play POISON, this shorter version might fit in tight spaces.
Forgetting Extensions
POISONER and POISONING are both valid. If you have the tiles, these longer words score significantly more than the base POISON.
Poor P Placement
With P worth 3 points, its placement matters. Always look for opportunities to land P on a double or triple letter score before settling for base value.
Explore other words with P and common letters
PUZZLE
26 points
QUARTZ
24 points
WIZARD
19 points
FROZEN
18 points
SPHINX
18 points
GALAXY
17 points
JUMPER
17 points
EXOTIC
15 points
Practice unscrambling letters to find more high-scoring words like POISON