formic acid

American  

noun

Chemistry, Pharmacology.

1. a colorless, irritating, fuming, water-soluble liquid, CH 2 O 2 , originally obtained from ants and now manufactured synthetically, used in dyeing and tanning and in medicine chiefly as a counterirritant and astringent.

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formic acid British  

noun

1. Systematic name: methanoic acid.  a colourless corrosive liquid carboxylic acid found in some insects, esp ants, and many plants: used in dyeing textiles and the manufacture of insecticides and refrigerants. Formula: HCOOH

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formic acid Scientific  

/ fôr′mĭk /

1. A colorless, caustic, fuming liquid that occurs naturally as the poison of ants and stinging nettles. It is used in making textiles and paper and in insecticides. Formic acid is the simplest organic acid, containing a carboxyl (COOH) group attached to a hydrogen atom. Chemical formula: CH ₂ O ₂ .

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Etymology

Origin of formic acid

First recorded in 1785–95

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

formic acid

As the body attempts to clear methanol - breaking it down or metabolising it in the liver - an enzyme converts it to formaldehyde and formic acid.

From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026

To do this, they started with a genetically engineered "sick" cell, one that could only survive if it produced both the desired pigment, along with a second chemical called formic acid.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 3, 2025

This metabolism creates toxic by-products called formaldehyde, formate and formic acid.

From BBC ● Nov. 22, 2024

By varying the size of tin used from single atoms to ultrasmall clusters and also to larger nano-crystallites, the team could control the CO2 conversion to acetic acid, ethanol and formic acid, respectively.

From Science Daily ● May 21, 2024

The formic acid that the ants secrete had partly paralyzed it and made defence impossible.

From Bert Wilson at the Wheel by Duffield, J. W.