glycerin

[ glis-er-in ]

/ ˈglɪs ər ɪn /

noun Chemistry.

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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

Words nearby glycerin

glyceric, glyceric acid, glyceric aciduria, glyceridase, glyceride, glycerin, glycerinate, glycerine, glycerite, glycerol, glycerolysis

Definition for glycerine (2 of 2)

glycerol

[ glis-uh-rawl, -rol ]

/ ˈglɪs əˌrɔl, -ˌrɒl /

noun

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.

Also called glycerin, glycerine.

Origin of glycerol

First recorded in 1880–85; glycer(in) + -ol¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for glycerine

Glycerine, or cold cream, may be used as cooling applications to irritated surfaces.
Shifts and Expedients of Camp Life, Travel & Exploration|W. B. Lord
So while glycerine is carbon and hydrogen, nitro-glycerine is carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen.
Marvels of Scientific Invention|Thomas W. Corbin
Chemically pure glycerine or double distilled glycerine is produced by redistilling "once distilled" glycerine.
The Handbook of Soap Manufacture|W. H. Simmons
Trimethyleneglycol is more volatile than glycerine and can therefore be concentrated by fractional distillation.
Soap-Making Manual|E. G. Thomssen

If the bell is still left in the glycerine solution nothing further happens; the tissues die in this condition of strong systole.
Jellyfish, Starfish, and Sea-Urchins: Being a Research on Primitive Nervous Systems|G. J. Romanes

British Dictionary definitions for glycerine (1 of 2)

glycerine

glycerin (ˈɡlɪsərɪn)

/ (ˈɡlɪsərɪn, ˌɡlɪsəˈriːn) /

noun

another name (not in technical usage) for glycerol

Word Origin for glycerine

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

British Dictionary definitions for glycerine (2 of 2)

glycerol

/ (ˈɡlɪsəˌrɒl) /

noun

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

Word Origin for glycerol

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

Medical definitions for glycerine (1 of 2)

glycerin

n.

Glycerol or a preparation of glycerol.

Medical definitions for glycerine (2 of 2)

glycerol

[ glĭs′ə-rôl′, -rōl′ ]

n.

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.

Scientific definitions for glycerine (1 of 2)

glycerin

See glycerol.

Scientific definitions for glycerine (2 of 2)

glycerol

[ glĭs′ə-rôl′ ]

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.