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fusel oil

[fyoo-zuh l, -suh l]
noun
  1. a mixture consisting chiefly of amyl alcohols obtained as a by-product in the fermentation of grains.
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Origin of fusel oil

First recorded in 1855–60, fusel oil is from the German word Fusel bad liquor
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for fusel oil

Historical Examples

  • There are still other kinds of alcohol, some of which are even worse than fusel-oil.

    First Book in Physiology and Hygiene

    J.H. Kellogg

  • Amylene (C5H10), an ethereal liquid with an aromatic odour, prepared from fusel-oil.

  • There are many poisonous pretenders to Scotch whiskey; and it is when fusel-oil masquerades as pure spirit that the evil comes.

British Dictionary definitions for fusel oil

fusel oil

fusel

noun
  1. a mixture of amyl alcohols, propanol, and butanol: a by-product in the distillation of fermented liquors used as a source of amyl alcohols
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Word Origin

C19: from German Fusel bad spirits
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
fusel oil in Science

fusel oil

[fyōō′zəl]
  1. An acrid, oily, poisonous liquid occurring in the distillation products of fermented alcoholic liquids. Fusel oil is a mixture of amyl alcohols, fatty acids, and esters. It is used in paints, plastics, and varnishes, and in the manufacture of explosives.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.