glycerol

[ glis-uh-rawl, -rol ]

/ ˈglɪs əˌrɔl, -ˌrɒl /

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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.

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Also called glycerin, glycerine.

Origin of glycerol

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

Words nearby glycerol

glyceride, glycerin, glycerinate, glycerine, glycerite, glycerol, glycerolysis, glyceryl, glyceryl group, glyceryl monoacetate, glyceryl trinitrate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use glycerol in a sentence

They also mixed in glycerol, which helps the gel hold in water.
The future might be filled with squishy robots printed to order|Rahul Rao|February 5, 2022|Popular-Science
Meanwhile, glycerol absorbs moisture from the air, counteracting evaporation.
An ‘everlasting’ bubble endured more than a year without popping|Emily Conover|January 24, 2022|Science News
Fort was part of a team that levitated silicone oil or glycerol.
How physics lets a toy boat float upside down|Maria Temming|October 7, 2020|Science News For Students
A wax obtained from Rhus succedanea was shown by Stahmer to contain palmitic acid and glycerol in the form of glycerol palmitate.
Some Constituents of the Poison Ivy Plant: (Rhus Toxicodendron)|William Anderson Syme

It must be broken up into a fatty acid and glycerol, and saponified before it can be absorbed.
The Propaganda for Reform in Proprietary Medicines, Vol. 1 of 2|Various
This mixture when heated separates into two layers, the upper one viscid and forming a sort of "glycerol," the lower clear.
Scientific American Supplement, No. 787, January 31, 1891|Various
Closely associated with the question of how much glycerol should be added is that of how the additions should be made.
Preservation of Bull Semen at Sub-Zero Temperatures|N. L. VanDemark
Originally it was believed that the glycerol should be added in stages so that changes would occur gradually.
Preservation of Bull Semen at Sub-Zero Temperatures|N. L. VanDemark

British Dictionary definitions for glycerol

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

Scientific definitions for glycerol

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.