chloral

American  

[klawr-uhl] / ˈklɔr əl /

noun

1. Also called trichloroacetaldehyde.  Also called trichloroacetic acid aldehyde.  a colorless, oily liquid, C 2 Cl 3 HO, having a pungent odor, usually derived by the chlorination of ethyl alcohol or of acetaldehyde and combining with water to form chloral hydrate.

2. Also called chloral hydrate.  Pharmacology. a white, crystalline solid, C 2 H 3 Cl 3 O 2 , formed by combining liquid chloral with water: used as a hypnotic.

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chloral British  

/ ˈklɔːrəl /

noun

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

2. short for chloral hydrate

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Etymology

Origin of chloral

First recorded in 1825–35; chlor- ² + -al ³

Example Sentences

And the hospital had prescribed the maximum dose of chloral hydrate for the other child, allowing additional doses if needed.

From Science Magazine

The Georgia Department of Transportation-East said the tanker was carrying chloral anhydrous, a chemical that spilled onto the roadway and the dirt shoulder.

From Washington Times

Betsy Davis was 41 when she took a fatal dose of morphine, pentobarbital and chloral hydrate prescribed by her doctor.

From Seattle Times

At a moment of crisis, Stella allows her beloved friend to be given a sleeping draught, having temporarily forgotten that chloral can be fatal to those with weak hearts.

From Washington Post

He’d been carried to the car by his driver, coughing and hiccupping, delirious on some combination of beer, morphine, and chloral hydrate, a prescription sedative.

From The New Yorker