ethyl acetate

American

noun

Chemistry.

a colorless, volatile, flammable liquid, C 4 H 8 O 2 , having a fragrant, fruitlike odor: used chiefly as a scent in the manufacture of perfumes, flavorings, and confections, and as a solvent for paints, varnishes, and lacquers.

ethyl acetate British

noun

a colourless volatile flammable fragrant liquid ester, made from acetic acid and ethanol: used in perfumes and flavourings and as a solvent for plastics, etc. Formula: CH 3 COOC 2 H 5

"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

ethyl acetate Scientific

A colorless, volatile, flammable liquid used as a solvent and in perfumes, lacquers, pharmaceuticals, and rayon. Chemical formula: C ₄ H ₈ O ₂ .

Etymology

Origin of ethyl acetate

First recorded in 1870–75

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.

See Examples For:

ethyl acetate

Another makes acetic anhydride, a key ingredient of aspirin, and the third makes ethyl acetate, which is used as a solvent and for decaffeinating tea and coffee.

From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026

One of the common solvents, ethyl acetate, comes naturally in many foods and beverages.

From Salon ● Jul. 23, 2024

The researchers used methanol and ethyl acetate to prepare extracts from sunflower stems.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 25, 2023

Conventional home fragrance products can contain hundreds of chemicals, including phthalates, benzaldehyde, camphor, ethyl acetate, benzyl acetate, musk ketone, benzene, formaldehyde, BHT and acetaldehyde.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 15, 2023

For example, unlike many popular components of killing bottles, ethyl acetate leaves dead specimens relaxed.When you have treated wet specimens with anything acid, do remember to neutralise the acid residues as soon as possible.

From Practical Taxidermy A manual of instruction to the amateur in collecting, preserving, and setting up natural history specimens of all kinds. To which is added a chapter upon the pictorial arrangement of museums. With additional instructions in modelling and artistic taxidermy. by Montagu Browne

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023