glycerol

American  

[glis-uh-rawl, -rol] / ˈglɪs əˌrɔl, -ˌrɒl /

noun

1. a colorless, odorless, syrupy, sweet liquid, C 3 H 8 O 3 , usually obtained by the saponification of natural fats and oils: used for sweetening and preserving food, in the manufacture of cosmetics, perfumes, inks, and certain glues and cements, as a solvent and automobile antifreeze, and in medicine in suppositories and skin emollients.

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glycerol British  

/ ˈɡlɪsəˌrɒl /

noun

1. Also called (not in technical usage): glycerine.   glycerin.  a colourless or pale yellow odourless sweet-tasting syrupy liquid; 1,2,3-propanetriol: a by-product of soap manufacture, used as a solvent, antifreeze, plasticizer, and sweetener ( E422 ). Formula: C 3 H 8 O 3

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glycerol Scientific  

/ glĭs′ə-rôl′ /

1. A sweet, syrupy liquid obtained from animal fats and oils or by the fermentation of glucose. It is used as a solvent, sweetener, and antifreeze and in making explosives and soaps. Glycerol consists of a propane molecule attached to three hydroxyl (OH) groups. Also called glycerin, glycerine. Chemical formula: C ₃ H ₈ O ₃ .

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Etymology

Origin of glycerol

First recorded in 1880–85; glycer(in) + -ol ¹

Example Sentences

Invertebrates, however, were preserved using a wider range of liquids, including formalin, buffered solutions, or mixtures that contained additives such as glycerol.

From Science Daily • Mar. 5, 2026

Most slushies contain naturally occurring glycerol instead of sugar to stop them freezing solid, giving them the slushy effect.

From BBC • Jul. 17, 2025

The Food Standards Agency advises drinks with glycerol are not suitable for children under age four – but it is not mandatory for companies to print this on food labels.

From BBC • Jul. 31, 2024

The result is the spillover of free fatty acids and glycerol from fat tissue, a process called lipolysis, that has gone out of control.

From Science Daily • Apr. 24, 2024

These effects are discussed in the section on glycerol additions beginning on page 17.

From Preservation of Bull Semen at Sub-Zero Temperatures by Friedman, M. E.