indole

[ in-dohl ]

nounChemistry.

a colorless to yellowish solid, C8H7N, having a low melting point and a fecal odor, found in the oil of jasmine and clove and as a putrefaction product from animals' intestines: used in perfumery and as a reagent.

Origin of indole

First recorded in 1865–70; ind- + -ole²

Words Nearby indole

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

How to use indole in a sentence

Quaecunque in Germanorum indole admiranda atque imitanda fere censemus, ea in Doellingero maxime splendent.
The History of Freedom | John Emerich Edward Dalberg-Acton
Beyond the fact that when they are hydrolyzed they yield quinoline and indole, their composition is unknown.
The Chemistry of Plant Life | Roscoe Wilfred Thatcher
Hahn, A.—De Rationalismi, qui dicitur, vera indole et qua cum naturalismo contineatur ratione.
History of Rationalism Embracing a Survey of the Present State of Protestant Theology | John F. Hurst

British Dictionary definitions for indole

indole

indol (ˈɪndəʊl, -dɒl)

/ (ˈɪndəʊl) /

noun

a white or yellowish crystalline heterocyclic compound extracted from coal tar and used in perfumery, medicine, and as a flavouring agent; 1-benzopyrrole. Formula: C 8 H 7 N

Origin of indole

C19: from ind (igo) + -ole 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 indole

indole

[ ĭn′dōl′ ]

A white crystalline compound obtained from coal tar or various plants and produced by the bacterial decomposition of tryptophan in the intestine. It is used in the perfume industry and as a reagent. Chemical formula: C8H7N.
Any of various derivatives of this compound.

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