glycolic acid

or glycollic acid


noun
  1. a colorless, crystalline, water-soluble powder, C2H4O3, that is a major substrate for photorespiration in plants: used chiefly for textile printing and dyeing and in pesticides.

Origin of glycolic acid

1
First recorded in 1850–55

Words Nearby glycolic acid

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British Dictionary definitions for glycolic acid

glycolic acid

noun
  1. a colourless crystalline soluble hygroscopic compound found in sugar cane and sugar beet: used in tanning and in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, pesticides, adhesives, and plasticizers; hydroxyacetic acid. Formula: CH 2 (OH)COOH

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 glycolic acid

glycolic acid

[ glī-kŏlĭk ]


  1. A colorless crystalline compound that occurs naturally in sugar beets and sugarcane. It is used in leather dyeing and tanning, and in making pharmaceuticals, pesticides, adhesives, and plasticizers. Chemical formula: C2H4O3.

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