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ionone

American  
[ahy-uh-nohn] / ˈaɪ əˌnoʊn /

noun

Chemistry.

  1. a light-yellow to colorless, slightly water-soluble liquid that is either one or a mixture of two unsaturated ketones having the formula C 13 H 20 O, used chiefly in perfumery.

ionone British  
/ ˈaɪəˌnəʊn /

noun

  1. a yellowish liquid mixture of two isomers with an odour of violets, extracted from certain plants and used in perfumery

  2. either of these two isomers. Formula: C 13 H 20 O

"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

Etymology

Origin of ionone

First recorded in 1890–95; formerly trademark

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Irone and ionone are closely similar in composition to oil of turpentine which when taken into the body is partly converted into perfume and gives a strong odor of violets to the urine.

From Studies in the Psychology of Sex, Volume 4 Sexual Selection In Man by Ellis, Havelock

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.