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Agent Orange

noun

a powerful herbicide and defoliant containing trace amounts of dioxin, a toxic impurity suspected of causing serious health problems, including cancer and genetic damage, in some persons exposed to it and birth defects in their offspring: used by U.S. armed forces during the Vietnam War to defoliate jungles.

Agent Orange

noun

a highly poisonous herbicide used as a spray for defoliation and crop destruction, esp by US forces during the Vietnam War

Agent Orange

A mixture of equal amounts of two herbicides known as 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T, and trace amounts of the toxic contaminant dioxin (a byproduct of the manufacture of 2,4,5-T). It was used in the Vietnam War to defoliate areas of forest.

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Word History and Origins

Origin of Agent Orange¹

First recorded in 1965–70; so called from the color of the identifying stripe on the drums in which it was stored

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Word History and Origins

Origin of Agent Orange¹

C20: named after the identifying colour stripe on its container

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

More than half of that spraying involved the dioxin-contaminated defoliant Agent Orange.

From

He died in 1994 at 45 years old from cancer likely related to Agent Orange exposure, and local advocates have worked for years to contextualize his crimes with his service-related mental illness.

From

Unlike other foreign aid programs, addressing Agent Orange is more akin to restitution than charity because the U.S. brought the deadly substance there in the first place.

From

Raffini, whose husband died because of cancer related to Agent Orange exposure during his military service, admires Brown because of his military service.

From

Agent Orange, an herbicide used during the Vietnam War, is a known toxin with wide-ranging health effects.

From

agent of production agent provocateur

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