LD

Pronunciation
/el-dee/
Category
Toxicology
Singular
LD
Plural
LD

Definition

An abbreviation for "lethal dose", referring to the dose of a substance that kills an organism.

Etymology

From Latin "letalis" meaning 'fatal' and Greek "dosis" meaning 'dose'.

Example

The LD50 of cyanide is very low, meaning that a small dose can be lethal.

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