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carbolic acid

British  
/ kɑːˈbɒlɪk /

noun

  1. another name for phenol, esp when it is used as an antiseptic or disinfectant

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

carbolic acid Scientific  
/ kär-bŏl′ĭk /
  1. See phenol


Etymology

Origin of carbolic acid

C19: carbolic, from carbo- + -ol 1 + -ic


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

The smell was dubbed the Great Stink, and carbolic acid, another disinfectant, was poured into the river to alleviate the problem.

From Textbooks ● Dec. 14, 2022

Starting with Chinatown, earthen basements were concreted, concrete ones flooded with carbolic acid, walls washed with lye, streets asphalted, cesspools filled and decrepit dwellings demolished.

From Nature ● Apr. 23, 2019

Blue’s team treated houses and streets with chlorinated lime and carbolic acid; took down dilapidated buildings and ramshackle housing additions; and trapped and poisoned rats.

From Slate ● Oct. 15, 2015

Joseph Lister’s experiments applying carbolic acid to wounds also helped reduce death rates.

From The Guardian ● May 18, 2015

The carbolic acid solution was too weak to kill bacteria, and the procedure only introduced more microbes.

From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow

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