menthol

[ men-thawl, -thol ]

noun

Also called hexahydrothymol, peppermint camphor. Chemistry, Pharmacology. a colorless, crystalline, slightly water-soluble alcohol, C10H20O, obtained from peppermint oil or synthesized: used chiefly in perfumes, confections, cigarettes, and liqueurs and in medicine for colds and nasal disorders for its cooling effect on mucous membranes.
a mentholated cigarette.

adjective

containing menthol; mentholated.

Origin of menthol

1875–80; <New Latin Menth(a) (see mint¹) + -ol¹

Words Nearby menthol

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

How to use menthol in a sentence

Even before the menthol ban, there was fierce outcry from the tobacco and harm-reduction worlds over the FDA’s increasingly aggressive nicotine regulations.
How the FDA's Menthol Cigarette Ban Fits Into a New Era of U.S. Tobacco Regulation | Jamie Ducharme | April 29, 2021 | Time
In an effort to curb youth vaping, the FDA in the fall of 2018 put forth new restrictions, forbidding the sale of products in all flavors except mint, menthol, and tobacco in stores where minors can shop.
How the FDA's Menthol Cigarette Ban Fits Into a New Era of U.S. Tobacco Regulation | Jamie Ducharme | April 29, 2021 | Time
In early 2020, it all-out banned the sale of potentially youth-friendly flavored products—notably and controversially excluding menthol—used in pod-based systems, like market leader Juul.
How the FDA's Menthol Cigarette Ban Fits Into a New Era of U.S. Tobacco Regulation | Jamie Ducharme | April 29, 2021 | Time
The FDA’s menthol ban comes eight years after a citizen petition calling for such a move.
How the FDA's Menthol Cigarette Ban Fits Into a New Era of U.S. Tobacco Regulation | Jamie Ducharme | April 29, 2021 | Time
Found in the skin of many mammals, TRPM8 alerts the rest of the body to cold, but also gets activated by menthol, the chemical behind peppermint’s cooling sensation.
Giant pandas may roll in horse poop to feel warm | Jonathan Lambert | December 7, 2020 | Science News

menthol is used in medicine to relieve pain, as in rheumatism, neuralgia, throat affections and toothache.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 2 | Various
Evidently this imposingly named product is practically a lanolin ointment containing oil of wintergreen and menthol.
The Propaganda for Reform in Proprietary Medicines, Vol. 1 of 2 | Various
According to the statements of the manufacturers, Bengus Analgesic Balm contains menthol, salicylate of methyl and lanolin.
The Propaganda for Reform in Proprietary Medicines, Vol. 1 of 2 | Various
With a view to narcotizing them while in this condition, menthol was applied to the water but did not seem to have much effect.
The Home of the Blizzard | Douglas Mawson
Emmie was to keep menthol in it, Ethan said, and to sniff the aromatic remedy through the open-work inner lid of gold.
The Open Question | Elizabeth Robins

British Dictionary definitions for menthol

menthol

/ (ˈmɛnθɒl) /

noun

an optically active organic compound found in peppermint oil and used as an antiseptic, in inhalants, and as an analgesic. Formula: C 10 H 20 O

Origin of menthol

C19: from German, from Latin mentha mint 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 menthol

menthol

[ mĕn′thôl′ ]

A white, crystalline compound obtained from peppermint oil. It is used as a flavoring and as a mild anesthetic. Chemical formula: C10H20O.

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