acetic acid

American  

noun

Chemistry.

1. a colorless, pungent, water-miscible liquid, C 2 H 4 O 2 , the essential constituent of vinegar, produced by oxidation of acetaldehyde, bacterial action on ethyl alcohol, the reaction of methyl alcohol with carbon monoxide, and other processes: used chiefly in the manufacture of acetate fibers and in the production of numerous esters that are solvents and flavoring agents.

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acetic acid British  

noun

1. Systematic name: ethanoic acid.  a colourless pungent liquid, miscible with water, widely used in the manufacture of acetic anhydride, vinyl acetate, plastics, pharmaceuticals, dyes, etc. Formula: CH 3 COOH See also glacial acetic acid vinegar

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acetic acid Scientific  

1. A clear, colorless organic acid having a distinctive pungent odor. It is used as a solvent and in the manufacture of rubber, plastics, acetate fibers, pharmaceuticals, and photographic chemicals. Acetic acid is the chief acid of vinegar. Chemical formula: C ₂ H ₄ O ₂ .

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Etymology

Origin of acetic acid

First recorded in 1800–10

Compare meaning

How does acetic-acid compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• glacial acetic acid vs. acetic acid

Example Sentences

They include companies like Chemours and Tronox, which make titanium dioxide, a pigment used in paint and wallpaper, and Celanese, which produces acetic acid, a key ingredient in many industrial products.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026

These included potassium sorbate, potassium metabisulfite, sodium nitrite, potassium nitrate, and acetic acid.

From Science Daily • Jan. 27, 2026

Sixty jobs will go at the Ineos Acetyls site near Hull, which makes products including acetic acid used in manufacturing.

From BBC • Oct. 7, 2025

Birch also cites an experiment in which lidocaine was used to relieve experimentally-induced pain from an injection of acetic acid in an octopus.

From Salon • Jul. 14, 2024

I took acetic acid, as vinegar I had in some pickles I thought changed or relieved the first class or effort of provings and caused me to stop and begin again.

From New, Old, and Forgotten Remedies: Papers by Many Writers by Anshutz, Edward Pollock