carbolic acid
Britishnoun
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.
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
Apparently it's an obsolete term referring to the use of carbolic acid as a disinfectant to kill germs.
From BBC ● Apr. 5, 2020
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
In his 1878 textbook on surgery, Agnew recommended many of the procedures and included a drawing of Lister's carbolic acid sprayer.
From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
