chemical

[ kem-i-kuhl ]

noun

1. a substance produced by or used in a chemical process.
2. chemicals, Slang. narcotic or mind-altering drugs or substances.

adjective

1. of, used in, produced by, or concerned with chemistry or chemicals:

   a chemical formula; chemical agents.

2. used in chemical warfare:

   chemical weapons.

chemical

/ ˈkɛmɪkəl /

noun

1. any substance used in or resulting from a reaction involving changes to atoms or molecules, especially one derived artificially for practical use

adjective

1. of or used in chemistry

   chemical balance

2. of, made from, or using chemicals

   chemical fertilizer

chemical

/ kĕm′ĭ-kəl /

Adjective

1. Relating to or produced by means of chemistry.

Noun

1. A substance having a specific molecular composition, obtained by or used in a chemical process.

Derived Forms

• ˈchemically, adverb

Other Words From

• chemi·cal·ly adverb
• non·chemi·cal adjective noun
• pre·chemi·cal adjective
• pseudo·chemi·cal adjective
• semi·chemi·cal adjective
• semi·chemi·cal·ly adverb
• super·chemi·cal adjective noun
• super·chemi·cal·ly adverb
• un·chemi·cal adjective
• un·chemi·cal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of chemical¹

1570–80; chemic + -al ¹; replacing chimical chemic

Example Sentences

Vihari Kanukollu, the co-founder and chief executive of UrbanKisaan, told TechCrunch in an interview that the startup does not use any soil or harmful chemicals to grow crops and uses 95% less water compared to traditional farms.

From TechCrunch

Large fires can also heat up plastic pipes in the ground, causing them to leach chemicals into the water supply.

From Popular-Science

The chemical traces of nuclear testing can be found in ice sheets, lake bottoms, deep-sea sediments, and the bodies of living organisms, including our own.

From Nautilus

Our noses have what amounts to “a chemical sensor” to detect it, Rudden notes.

From Science News For Students

So Regier and colleagues examined diamonds that formed in the crust, upper mantle and lower mantle, hunting for the chemical traces of subducted crust.

From Science News

There was Carol White, a ho-hum homemaker who finds herself besieged by multiple chemical sensitivity in Safe.

From The Daily Beast

Methane is a familiar chemical, whether you know it by that name or not.

From The Daily Beast

However, their presence shows that Mars could have a more complex and evolving chemical story.

From The Daily Beast

Lakes on Titan are full of methane, and the chemical is a major component of the giant planets Jupiter, Neptune, and so forth.

From The Daily Beast

Methane (chemical formula CH4) is one of the simplest hydrocarbons, which literally means “containing hydrogen and carbon.”

From The Daily Beast

Its chemical composition is unknown, but it is nitrogenous, and is believed to be produced by the decomposition of gluten.

From Project Gutenberg

It has been obtained for chemical examination, principally from peas and beans, and from the almond and oats.

From Project Gutenberg

Of its more strictly chemical effects, the most important is probably that which it produces on the temperature of the soil.

From Project Gutenberg

No sooner was the spectroscope invented than astronomers hastened by its aid to explore the chemical constitution of the sun.

From Project Gutenberg

It is likely that in the classic days of Greece men began to make simple experiments of a chemical nature.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• synthetic