orcinol

[ awr-suh-nawl, -nol ]
/ ˈɔr səˌnɔl, -ˌnɒl /

noun Chemistry.

a white, crystalline, water-soluble solid, C7H8O2, sweet but unpleasant in taste, that reddens on exposure to air: obtained from many lichens or produced synthetically and used chiefly as a reagent for certain carbohydrates.

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Also or·cin [awr-sin] /ˈɔr sɪn/.

Origin of orcinol

1875–80; < New Latin orcin(a) (< Italian orcello orchil, by alteration) + -ol2

Words nearby orcinol

orchioplasty, orchiotomy, orchis, orchitis, orchotomy, orcinol, orciprenaline sulfate, orcus, orczy, ord, ord.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

British Dictionary definitions for orcinol

orcinol

orcin (ˈɔːsɪn)

/ (ˈɔːsɪˌnɒl) /

noun

a colourless crystalline water-soluble solid that occurs in many lichens and from which the dyes found in litmus are derived. Formula: CH 3 C 6 H 3 (OH) 2

Word Origin for orcinol

C20: from New Latin orcina, from Italian orcello orchil
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