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

They blended it with modified starch and bentonite nanoclay, then added glycerol and polyvinyl alcohol to improve durability and flexibility.

From Science Daily • Feb. 28, 2026

Children should completely avoid "slushy" ice drinks containing glycerol, which can make them very ill, until they are at least eight years old, say researchers calling for official public-health advice to change.

From BBC • Mar. 11, 2025

Arla had to be rushed to Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary, where medical staff also told the family that glycerol in the Slush Puppie was the likely cause of her condition.

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

One can see that sperm survived freezing better when the diluted semen was cooled to 4.5° C. before the glycerol was added.

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