Javel water

American

[zhuh-vel, zha-] / ʒəˈvɛl, ʒæ- /

Or Javelle water

noun

sodium hypochlorite, NaOCl, dissolved in water, used as a bleach, antiseptic, etc.

Javel water British

/ ˈdʒævəl, dʒəˈvɛl /

noun

an aqueous solution containing sodium hypochlorite and some sodium chloride, used as a bleach and disinfectant
Also called: eau de Javelle. a similar solution made from potassium carbonate and chlorine

"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 Javel water

1870–75; translation of French eau de Javel, after Javel former town, now in the city of Paris

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