paraldehyde

[puh-ral-duh-hahyd]

noun

Chemistry, Pharmacology.

1. a colorless, liquid, cyclic compound, C 6 H 1 2 O 3 , having a disagreeable taste but an agreeable odor, produced by the polymerization of acetaldehyde with sulfuric acid: used chiefly in the manufacture of organic chemicals and in medicine as a sedative and hypnotic.

paraldehyde

/ pəˈrældɪˌhaɪd /

noun

1. a colourless liquid substance that is a cyclic trimer of acetaldehyde: used in making dyestuffs and as a hypnotic and anticonvulsant drug. Formula: (C 2 H 4 O) 3

Word History and Origins

Origin of paraldehyde¹

First recorded in 1855–60; par- + aldehyde

Example Sentences

Sedatives, such as bromides, paraldehyde, or opium, must be given in large doses.

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