cresol

[ kree-sawl, -sol ]

/ ˈkri sɔl, -sɒl /

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noun

any of three isomeric compounds having the formula C7H8O, usually derived from coal tar and wood tar, and used chiefly as a disinfectant.

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Also called cresylic acid, methyl phenol .

Compare tricresol.

Origin of cresol

1860–65; cres- (irregular from creosote) + -ol²

Words nearby cresol

crescent, crescent truss, crescit eundo, crescive, Creslan, cresol, cress, Cressent, cresset, Cressida, Cressy

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use cresol in a sentence

Crsylite is a French explosive, and contains picric acid and nitrated cresol.
The New Gresham Encyclopedia|Various
The water in these buckets is not meant for drinking, and therefore contains a little cresol to prevent prisoners drinking it.
Turkish Prisoners in Egypt|Various
The floor and the lower part of the chambers are treated with cresol; the upper part is whitewashed.
Turkish Prisoners in Egypt|Various
They are arranged over cesspools 18 feet deep, disinfected every day with whitewash and cresol, and are quite odourless.
Turkish Prisoners in Egypt|Various

Among the substances deserving mention under this head we have indol, skatol, cresol, and phenol.
Dietetics for Nurses|Fairfax T. Proudfit

British Dictionary definitions for cresol

cresol

/ (ˈkriːsɒl) /

noun

an aromatic compound derived from phenol, existing in three isomeric forms: found in coal tar and creosote and used in making synthetic resins and as an antiseptic and disinfectant; hydroxytoluene. Formula: C 6 H 4 (CH 3)OHAlso called: cresylic acid Systematic name: methylphenol

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