Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A caustic, poisonous, white crystalline compound, C6H6O, derived from benzene and used in resins, plastics, and pharmaceuticals and in dilute form as a disinfectant and antiseptic.
  • noun Any of a class of aromatic organic compounds having at least one hydroxyl group attached directly to the benzene ring.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Phenyl alcohol, C6H5OH, more commonly called carbolic acid.
  • noun The general name of a compound formed from benzene and its homologues by the substitution of hydroxyl for hydrogen in the benzene nucleus.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Chem.) A white or pinkish crystalline substance, C6H5OH, produced by the destructive distillation of many organic bodies, as wood, coal, etc., and obtained from the heavy oil from coal tar.
  • noun Any one of the series of hydroxyl derivatives of which phenol proper is the type.
  • noun (Chem.) pure crystallized phenol or carbolic acid.
  • noun (Chem.) any one of a series of compounds which are at once derivatives of both phenol and some member of the fatty acid series; thus, salicylic acid is a phenol acid.
  • noun (Chem.) any one of series of derivatives of phenol and carbinol which have the properties of both combined; thus, saligenin is a phenol alcohol.
  • noun (Chem.) any one of a series of compounds having both phenol and aldehyde properties.
  • noun See under Phthalein.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun organic chemistry, uncountable A caustic, poisonous, white crystalline compound, C6H5OH, derived from benzene and used in resins, plastics, and pharmaceuticals and in dilute form as a disinfectant and antiseptic; once called carbolic acid.
  • noun organic chemistry, countable Any of a class of aromatic organic compounds having at least one hydroxyl group attached directly to the benzene ring.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a toxic white soluble crystalline acidic derivative of benzene; used in manufacturing and as a disinfectant and antiseptic; poisonous if taken internally
  • noun any of a class of weakly acidic organic compounds; molecule contains one or more hydroxyl groups

Etymologies

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Examples

  • Gestapo patience at last having worn thin, an injection of phenol is administered and now Kolbe too is dead.

    Anti-Catholicism 2009

  • Like benzene, the homologous aromatic hydrocarbons, toluene, xylenes, etc. fix directly six hydrogen atoms to produce the corresponding cyclic compounds; phenol is transformed into cyclohexanol, aniline into cyclohexylamine.

    Paul Sabatier - Nobel Lecture 1966

  • The phenol is an antigumming substance and the acid is an antistatic agent.

    The Burning Wire Jeffery Deaver 2010

  • The phenol is an antigumming substance and the acid is an antistatic agent.

    The Burning Wire Jeffery Deaver 2010

  • Mango contains phenol, which is a type of antioxidant.

    Mango and It's nutritive value 2008

  • Toussaint used Lister's antiseptic, carbolic acid, called phenol today, rather than bichromate.

    Pasteur's 'Private Science' Summers, William C. 1997

  • The NO_ {2} group is at the moment of solution fixed upon the phenol with the production of mono-nitro-phenol, which is afterwards reduced by the action of the zinc-dust into the amido derivative.

    Nitro-Explosives: A Practical Treatise

  • Cumene is used to make phenol, which is mainly used in the manufacture of liquid and solid resins.

    CB&I Announces Technology Award in China - Yahoo! Finance 2011

  • Lister's carbolic acid, now known as phenol, is a common main ingredient in household detergents like Lysol, Pine-Sol and Spic-n-Span (it's also found in mouthwash). laundry detergents and all-purpose cleaners, is banned in Europe, and biodegrades slowly into even more toxic compounds Beyond phenol, other chemicals found in household disinfectants include:

    foodconsumer.org 2010

  • The glue is a polymer called phenol-formaldehyde, and while that sounds scary, reports indicate that it is less toxic than the wood, not listed under Prop 65, etc.

    Bre Pettis Blog 2009

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