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• OL
  OL

  abbreviation

  Old Latin.
• -ol
  -ol

  a suffix used in the names of chemical derivatives, representing “alcohol” (glycerol; naphthol; phenol ), or sometimes “phenol” or less definitely assignable phenol derivatives (resorcinol ).
• Ol.
  Ol.

  abbreviation

  (in prescriptions) oil.
• O.L.
  O.L.

  abbreviation

  (in prescriptions) the left eye.
• –ol
  –ol

  A suffix used to form the names of chemical compounds having a hydroxyl (OH) group, such as ethanol.

OL

¹ American  

Or OL.,

abbreviation

1. Old Latin.

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-ol ² American  

1. a suffix used in the names of chemical derivatives, representing “alcohol” (glycerol; naphthol; phenol ), or sometimes “phenol” or less definitely assignable phenol derivatives (resorcinol ).

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-ol ³ American  

1. variant of -ole.

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Ol. ⁴ American  

abbreviation

1. (in prescriptions) oil.

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O.L. ⁵ American  

Or o.l.

abbreviation

1. (in prescriptions) the left eye.

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-ol ¹ British  

suffix

1. denoting an organic chemical compound containing a hydroxyl group, esp alcohols and phenols

   ethanol

   quinol

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-ol ² British  

combining form

1. (not used systematically) a variant of -ole 1

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–ol Scientific  

1. A suffix used to form the names of chemical compounds having a hydroxyl (OH) group, such as ethanol.

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Etymology

Origin of -ol²

Short for alcohol or phenol

Origin of Ol.⁴

From the Latin word oleum

Origin of O.L.⁵

From Latin oculus laevus

Example Sentences

A case in point: Americans who filed tax returns last month might recall the irony of printing out a line of boilerplate about the good ol’ “Paperwork Reduction Act.”

From The Wall Street Journal • May 12, 2026

It’s been suggested that what’s driven this bucket-list fascination in recent years is plain ol’ consumerism, as in we want to buy our way to a life of great accomplishment.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 31, 2025

It’s been replaced with plain ol’ bacon that’s purely an add-on to burgers and grilled cheese.

From Salon • Aug. 18, 2025

The good ol’ boy life is alive and well in Alabama.

From Slate • May 31, 2025

“Abuelo, your ol’ buddy Vernon went missing,” she said, “and now there’s a smudge over his face in the picture.”

From "Shadowshaper" by Daniel José Older