methyl salicylate

noun Chemistry.

a colorless, water-soluble liquid, C8H8O3, produced synthetically or by maceration and subsequent distillation from birch or gaultheria: used chiefly in perfumery and flavoring, and in medicine as a counterirritant in external preparations.

Origin of methyl salicylate

First recorded in 1875–80

Also called sweet birch oil, wintergreen oil.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018