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glycerin

[glis-er-in]
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noun Chemistry.
  1. glycerol.
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Also glyc·er·ine [glis-er-in, -uh-reen, glis-uh-reen] /ˈglɪs ər ɪn, -əˌrin, ˌglɪs əˈrin/.

Origin of glycerin

1830–40; < French glycérine, equivalent to Greek glyker(ós) sweet + -ine -in2

glycerol

[glis-uh-rawl, -rol]
noun
  1. a colorless, odorless, syrupy, sweet liquid, C3H8O3, usually obtained by the saponification of natural fats and oils: used for sweetening and preserving food, in the manufacture of cosmetics, perfumes, inks, and certain glues and cements, as a solvent and automobile antifreeze, and in medicine in suppositories and skin emollients.
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Origin of glycerol

First recorded in 1880–85; glycer(in) + -ol1
Also called glycerin, glycerine.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for glycerine

Historical Examples

  • But be careful; most of the things are only temporarily mounted—just in glycerine.

    The Bacillus of Beauty

    Harriet Stark

  • It had not been hurt by the glycerine blast that had trapped Asher.

  • Care is, however, necessary, in moistening the wool with glycerine.

  • Denatured alcohol, glycerine, water, a little color and perfume.

  • If then it is a smooth solution, nearly as thin as glycerine, it is fit for use.

British Dictionary definitions for glycerine

glycerine

glycerin (ˈɡlɪsərɪn)

noun
  1. another name (not in technical usage) for glycerol
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Word Origin

C19: from French glycérine, from Greek glukeros sweet + -ine -in; related to Greek glukus sweet

glycerol

noun
  1. a colourless or pale yellow odourless sweet-tasting syrupy liquid; 1,2,3-propanetriol: a by-product of soap manufacture, used as a solvent, antifreeze, plasticizer, and sweetener (E422). Formula: C 3 H 8 O 3Also called (not in technical usage): glycerine, glycerin
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Word Origin

C19: from glycer (ine) + -ol 1
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

Word Origin and History for glycerine

n.

see glycerin.

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glycerol

n.

1884, from glycerine + -ol, suffix denoting alcohols.

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glycerin

n.

also glycerine, thick, colorless syrup, 1838, from French glycérine, coined by French chemist Michel-Eugène Chevreul (1786-1889), from Greek glykeros "sweet" (see glucose) + chemical ending -ine (2). So called for its sweet taste. Still in popular use, but in chemistry the substance now is known as glycerol.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
glycerine in Medicine

glycerin

n.
  1. Glycerol or a preparation of glycerol.
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glycerol

(glĭs′ə-rôl′, -rōl′)
n.
  1. A sweet syrupy fluid obtained by the saponification of fats and fixed oils, used as a solvent, a skin emollient, and as a vehicle and sweetening agent; it is also used by injection or in suppository form for constipation and orally to reduce ocular tension.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
glycerine in Science

glycerin

  1. See glycerol.
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glycerol

[glĭs′ə-rôl′]
  1. A sweet, syrupy liquid obtained from animal fats and oils or by the fermentation of glucose. It is used as a solvent, sweetener, and antifreeze and in making explosives and soaps. Glycerol consists of a propane molecule attached to three hydroxyl (OH) groups. Also called glycerin, glycerine. Chemical formula: C3H8O3.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.