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chloral

[ klawr-uhl, klohr- ]
/ ˈklɔr əl, ˈkloʊr- /

noun

Also called trichloroacetaldehyde, trichloroacetic acid aldehyde. a colorless, oily liquid, C2Cl3HO, having a pungent odor, usually derived by the chlorination of ethyl alcohol or of acetaldehyde and combining with water to form chloral hydrate.
Also called chloral hydrate. Pharmacology. a white, crystalline solid, C2H3Cl3O2, formed by combining liquid chloral with water: used as a hypnotic.

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Origin of chloral

First recorded in 1825–35; chlor-2 + -al3

Words nearby chloral

Chloe, chlor-, chloracetic acid, chloracetophenone, chloracne, chloral, chloral hydrate, chloralose, chlorambucil, chloramine, chloramphenicol
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for chloral

British Dictionary definitions for chloral

chloral
/ (ˈklɔːrəl) /

noun

a colourless oily liquid with a pungent odour, made from chlorine and acetaldehyde and used in preparing chloral hydrate and DDT; trichloroacetaldehyde
short for chloral hydrate
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