geraniol

American  

[juh-rey-nee-awl, -ol] / dʒəˈreɪ niˌɔl, -ˌɒl /

noun

Chemistry.

1. a colorless or pale-yellow terpene alcohol, C 10 H 18 O, with a geraniumlike odor, found in rose oil, soluble in alcohol and ether, insoluble in water: used in perfumes and flavors.

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geraniol British  

/ dʒɪˈrɑː-, dʒɪˈreɪnɪˌɒl /

noun

1. a colourless or pale yellow terpine alcohol with an odour of roses, found in many essential oils: used in perfumery. Formula: C 10 H 18 O

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Etymology

Origin of geraniol

< German Geraniol (1871); see geranium, -ol ¹

Example Sentences

These include linalool – a substance also used in perfumes and insecticide – and geraniol, a pale yellow liquid that doubles up as an effective mosquito repellent and gives geranium its distinctive smell.

From The Guardian • Jun. 22, 2013

Supporting this reasoning, a majority of taste testers in an earlier study enjoyed the flavor of tomatoes engineered to contain lemon basil geraniol, which is related to geranial.

From Scientific American • May 24, 2012

Analyzing the components of the rose volatiles showed that while the smell was decreased overall, the production of the main rose-smell constituents, phenyl ethyl alcohol, citronellol, geraniol, and methyl geranate actually increased in space.

From Scientific American • May 19, 2012

In a rose garden, a rose is a rose because of geraniol, a 10-carbon compound, and it is the geometric conformation of atoms and their bond angles that determine the unique fragrance.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas

The principal constituents of the oil are limonene and citral, together with small quantities of pinene, phellandrene, octyl and nonyl aldehydes, citronellal, geraniol, geranyl acetate, and the stearopten, citraptene.

From The Handbook of Soap Manufacture by Simmons, W. H.