pyroligneous acid

American  

noun

Chemistry.

1. a yellowish, acidic, water-soluble liquid, containing about 10 percent acetic acid, obtained by the destructive distillation of wood: used for smoking meats.

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pyroligneous acid British  

noun

1. Also called: wood vinegar.  the crude reddish-brown acidic liquid obtained by the distillation of wood and containing acetic acid, methanol, and acetone

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Etymology

Origin of pyroligneous acid

First recorded in 1780–90

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pyroligneous acid

By these means the juices are abstracted by the salt, and at the same time the flesh is contracted and hardened by the action of creosote and pyroligneous acid from the smoke.

From Science in the Kitchen. by Kellogg, Mrs. E. E.

Although it is clear that pure acetic acid is beyond the scope of an estate, crude pyroligneous acid has been produced on a varying scale in this country and in Ceylon.

From The Preparation of Plantation Rubber by Morgan, Sidney

Before reaching the exhaustor, however, they pass through a cooler in which a quantity of tar and pyroligneous acid is collected.

From Peat and its Uses as Fertilizer and Fuel by Johnson, Samuel W. (Samuel William)

Rogers furthermore told us that the doctor "cured" his heads in a smoke-box, and had "a regular chemist's shop" in which were a number of large bottles of pyroligneous acid, prepared by a London firm.

From The Call Of The South 1908 by Becke, Louis

Wipe the tongue dry, when taken out of the pickle; glaze it over with a brush dipped in pyroligneous acid, and hang it up in the kitchen.

From The Lady's Own Cookery Book, and New Dinner-Table Directory; In Which will Be Found a Large Collection of Original Receipts. 3rd ed. by Bury, Charlotte Campbell, Lady