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formaldehyde
[ fawr-mal-duh-hahyd, fer- ]
/ fɔrˈmæl dəˌhaɪd, fər- /
See the most commonly confused word associated with paraformaldehyde
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noun Chemistry.
a colorless, toxic, potentially carcinogenic, water-soluble gas, CH2O, having a suffocating odor, usually derived from methyl alcohol by oxidation: used chiefly in aqueous solution, as a disinfectant and preservative, and in the manufacture of various resins and plastics.
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Also called methanal.
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Words nearby formaldehyde
for love or money, form, formability, formal, formal cause, formaldehyde, formal equivalence, formalin, formalism, formality, formalize
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use formaldehyde in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for formaldehyde
formaldehyde
/ (fɔːˈmældɪˌhaɪd) /
noun
a colourless poisonous irritating gas with a pungent characteristic odour, made by the oxidation of methanol and used as formalin and in the manufacture of synthetic resins. Formula: HCHOSystematic name: methanal
Word Origin for formaldehyde
C19: form (ic) + aldehyde; on the model of German Formaldehyd
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
Scientific definitions for formaldehyde
formaldehyde
[ fôr-măl′də-hīd′ ]
A colorless gas having a sharp, suffocating odor. It is used in making plastics and, when dissolved in a solution of water and methanol, to preserve biological specimens. Chemical formula: CH2O.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
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