nitrogen mustard

noun Chemistry.

any of the class of poisonous, blistering compounds, as C5H11Cl2N, analogous in composition to mustard gas but containing nitrogen instead of sulfur: used in the treatment of cancer and similar diseases; mechlorethamine.

Origin of nitrogen mustard

First recorded in 1945–50

Words nearby nitrogen mustard

nitrogen fixation, nitrogen fixer, nitrogen fixing, nitrogen lag, nitrogen monoxide, nitrogen mustard, nitrogen narcosis, nitrogen partition, nitrogen peroxide, nitrogen tetroxide, nitrogen-fixing

British Dictionary definitions for nitrogen mustard

nitrogen mustard

noun

any of a class of organic compounds resembling mustard gas in their molecular structure. General formula: RN(CH 2 CH 2 Cl) 2, where R is an organic group: important in the treatment of cancer

Medical definitions for nitrogen mustard

nitrogen mustard

n.

Any of various toxic blistering compounds analogous to mustard gas but containing nitrogen rather than sulfur, sometimes used to control or check the growth of neoplastic cells.