salicylic acid

Save This Word!

noun Chemistry, Pharmacology.

a white, crystalline, very slightly water-soluble powder, C7H6O3, prepared from salicin or phenol: used as a food preservative, in the manufacture of aspirin, and in medicine chiefly in the form of a salicylate as a remedy for rheumatic and gouty conditions.

QUIZ

GOOSES. GEESES. I WANT THIS QUIZ ON PLURAL NOUNS!

Test how much you really know about regular and irregular plural nouns with this quiz.

Question 1 of 9

Which of the following nouns has an irregular plural form?

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of salicylic acid

First recorded in 1830–40

Words nearby salicylic acid

salicornia, salicylaldehyde, salicylamide, salicylate, salicylic, salicylic acid, salicylism, salience, saliency, salient, salientian

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use salicylic acid in a sentence

This sumptuous scrub from Sunday Riley is packed with clarifying ingredients like charcoal and salicylic acid.
Skincare gifts that are actually worth the splurge|Rachel Feltman|November 18, 2021|Popular-Science
For oily skins she recommends cleansers with salicylic acid, though these may be too harsh for patients with dry or sensitive skin.
Mask up without breaking out. Here’s how to prevent pandemic acne.|Sandra Gutierrez G.|December 3, 2020|Popular-Science
I write the lyrics and work with Murv Douglas from Lords of Acid.
Porn Stars on the Year in Porn: Drone Erotica, Belle Knox, and Wild Sex|Aurora Snow|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
During the height of his disenchantment, he visited his hometown where an old friend gave him some liquid acid.
DJ Spooky Wants You To Question Everything You Know About Music, Technology, and Philosophy|Oliver Jones|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Eggs, he says, are a good source of cysteine, an amino acid that helps the liver break down alcohol faster.
5 Hangover Cures to Save You After a Few Too Many|DailyBurn|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This at-home blood test kit gives a full reading of antioxidant, fatty acid, or vitamin panels.
Nothing Says I Love You Like Data|The Daily Beast|December 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The recent spate of acid attacks on women is only the latest manifestation of this dangerous trend.
The Nuclear Deal That Iran’s Regime Fears Most|Djavad Khadem|November 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There are a number of bacilli, called acid-fast bacilli, which stain in the same way as the tubercle bacillus.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
The amount of the other purin bodies together is about one-tenth that of uric acid.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
Uric acid is decreased before an attack of gout and increased afterward, but its etiologic relation is still uncertain.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
An increase is also noted in the uric-acid diathesis and in diseases accompanied by respiratory insufficiency.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
Indol is absorbed and oxidized into indoxyl, which combines with potassium and sulphuric acid and is thus excreted.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd

British Dictionary definitions for salicylic acid

salicylic acid

/ (ˌsælɪˈsɪlɪk) /

noun

a white crystalline slightly water-soluble substance with a sweet taste and bitter aftertaste, used in the manufacture of aspirin, dyes, and perfumes, and as a fungicide. Formula: C 6 H 4 (OH)(COOH)

Word Origin for salicylic acid

C19: from salicyl (via French from Latin salix a willow + -yl) + -ic

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

Medical definitions for salicylic acid

salicylic acid

[ săl′ĭ-sĭl′ĭk ]

A white crystalline acid used in making aspirin and in the topical treatment of skin conditions such as eczema.

Scientific definitions for salicylic acid

salicylic acid

[ săl′ĭ-sĭl′ĭk ]

A white, crystalline acid used to make aspirin, to treat certain skin conditions, and to preserve and flavor foods. Salicylic acid is benzoic acid with a hydroxyl group (OH) attached to the carboxyl group (COOH). Chemical formula: C7H6O3.