farnesol

[fahr-nuh-sawl, -sol]

noun

Chemistry.

1. a colorless, unsaturated, liquid alcohol, C 15 H 26 O, having a slight floral odor, extracted from the flowers of the acacia, cassia oil, or the like: used in perfumery.

farnesol

/ ˈfɑːnɪˌsɒl /

noun

1. a colourless aromatic sesquiterpene alcohol found in many essential oils and used in the form of its derivatives in perfumery; 3,7,11-trimethyl-2,6,10-dodecatrienol. Formula: C 15 H 26 O

Word History and Origins

Origin of farnesol¹

1900–05; < New Latin ( Acacia ) farnes ( iana ) Farnese acacia (named after Cardinal O. Farnese, 17th-century Italian ) + -ol ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of farnesol¹

C20: from New Latin ( Acacia ) farnesiāna ; named after Odoardo Farnese , C17 Italian cardinal

Example Sentences

Quorum sensing in the dimorphic fungus Candida albicans is mediated by farnesol.

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Using a specially designed device to shear plaque off the disks, the researchers removed more than twice as much plaque from surfaces treated with farnesol-carrying nanoparticles as compared with those treated with farnesol alone.

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Applying farnesol alone had negligible impact, the researchers report in ACS Nano.

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The inner core reacts to high acidity in the mouth, which loosens up the nanospheres and preferentially releases their contents—the antibacterial drug farnesol—in decay-prone regions where it’s needed most.

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