glycolic acid

or glycollic acid

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noun

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.

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Also called hydroxyacetic acid.

Origin of glycolic acid

First recorded in 1850–55

Words nearby glycolic acid

glycogenic acid, glycogen storage disease, glycol, glycolate, glycolic, glycolic acid, glycolipid, glycolysis, glycolytic, glyconeogenesis, glyconic acid

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

How to use glycolic acid in a sentence

I write the lyrics and work with Murv Douglas from Lords of Acid.
Porn Stars on the Year in Porn: Drone Erotica, Belle Knox, and Wild Sex|Aurora Snow|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
During the height of his disenchantment, he visited his hometown where an old friend gave him some liquid acid.
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Eggs, he says, are a good source of cysteine, an amino acid that helps the liver break down alcohol faster.
5 Hangover Cures to Save You After a Few Too Many|DailyBurn|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This at-home blood test kit gives a full reading of antioxidant, fatty acid, or vitamin panels.
Nothing Says I Love You Like Data|The Daily Beast|December 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The recent spate of acid attacks on women is only the latest manifestation of this dangerous trend.
The Nuclear Deal That Iran’s Regime Fears Most|Djavad Khadem|November 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There are a number of bacilli, called acid-fast bacilli, which stain in the same way as the tubercle bacillus.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
The amount of the other purin bodies together is about one-tenth that of uric acid.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
Uric acid is decreased before an attack of gout and increased afterward, but its etiologic relation is still uncertain.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
An increase is also noted in the uric-acid diathesis and in diseases accompanied by respiratory insufficiency.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
Indol is absorbed and oxidized into indoxyl, which combines with potassium and sulphuric acid and is thus excreted.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd

British Dictionary definitions for glycolic acid

glycolic acid

noun

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-kŏl′ĭk ]

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.