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hydrochloric acid

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noun
a colorless or faintly yellow, corrosive, fuming liquid, HCl, used chiefly in chemical and industrial processes.

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Origin of hydrochloric acid

First recorded in 1825–35
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use hydrochloric acid in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for hydrochloric acid

hydrochloric acid
/ (ˌhaɪdrəˈklɒrɪk) /

noun
the colourless or slightly yellow aqueous solution of hydrogen chloride: a strong acid used in many industrial and laboratory processesFormerly called: muriatic acid
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 hydrochloric acid

hydrochloric acid
[ hī′drə-klôr′ĭk ]

A solution of hydrogen chloride in water, forming a very strong, poisonous, corrosive acid with a sharp odor. It is used in food processing, metal cleaning, and dyeing. Small amounts of hydrochloric acid are also secreted by the stomachs of animals for digestion. Also called muriatic acid
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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