methyl salicylate

American

noun

Chemistry.

a colorless, water-soluble liquid, C 8 H 8 O 3 , 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.

Etymology

Origin of methyl salicylate

First recorded in 1875–80

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.

So can the antifungal herbal oils in Listerine: eucalyptol, menthol, methyl salicylate and thymol.

From Seattle Times • May 15, 2024

Inactive ingredients include turpentine oil and methyl salicylate.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 14, 2024

The menthol and methyl salicylate trigger a cooling sensation.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 28, 2021

The active ingredients in Deep Heat are listed as menthol and methyl salicylate.

From The Guardian • Jan. 16, 2013

Both oils consist almost entirely of methyl salicylate and are practically identical in properties, the chief difference being that the former has a slight lævo-rotation, while the latter is inactive.

From The Handbook of Soap Manufacture by Simmons, W. H.

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