geraniol

American  

[juh-rey-nee-awl, -ol] / dʒəˈreɪ niˌɔl, -ˌɒl /

noun

Chemistry.

1. a colorless or pale-yellow terpene alcohol, C 10 H 18 O, with a geraniumlike odor, found in rose oil, soluble in alcohol and ether, insoluble in water: used in perfumes and flavors.

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geraniol British  

/ dʒɪˈrɑː-, dʒɪˈreɪnɪˌɒl /

noun

1. a colourless or pale yellow terpine alcohol with an odour of roses, found in many essential oils: used in perfumery. Formula: C 10 H 18 O

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Etymology

Origin of geraniol

< German Geraniol (1871); see geranium, -ol ¹

Example Sentences

These include linalool – a substance also used in perfumes and insecticide – and geraniol, a pale yellow liquid that doubles up as an effective mosquito repellent and gives geranium its distinctive smell.

From The Guardian • Jun. 22, 2013

Supporting this reasoning, a majority of taste testers in an earlier study enjoyed the flavor of tomatoes engineered to contain lemon basil geraniol, which is related to geranial.

From Scientific American • May 24, 2012

Analyzing the components of the rose volatiles showed that while the smell was decreased overall, the production of the main rose-smell constituents, phenyl ethyl alcohol, citronellol, geraniol, and methyl geranate actually increased in space.

From Scientific American • May 19, 2012

In a rose garden, a rose is a rose because of geraniol, a 10-carbon compound, and it is the geometric conformation of atoms and their bond angles that determine the unique fragrance.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas

The oil contains geraniol and citronellol, both free, and combined with tiglic, valeric, butyric, and acetic acids; also l-menthone.

From The Handbook of Soap Manufacture by Simmons, W. H.