/ ˈnɪkətiːn; NAmE / noun
[ U ] a poisonous substance in tobacco that people become addicted to, so that it is difficult to stop smoking
••
WORD ORIGIN
early 19th cent.: from French , from nicotiana (from modern Latin nicotiana (herba) tobacco (plant), named after Jean Nicot , a 16th-cent. French diplomat who introduced tobacco to France in 1560) + -ine .