thymol

[thahy-mohl, -mawl]

noun Chemistry, Pharmacology.

a colorless, crystalline, slightly water-soluble solid, C10H14O, having a pungent, aromatic taste and odor, obtained from the oil distilled from thyme or prepared synthetically: used chiefly in perfumery, embalming, preserving biological specimens, and in medicine as a fungicide and antiseptic.

Origin of thymol

First recorded in 1855–60; thyme + -ol²

Also called thyme camphor, thymic acid

[tahy-mik] /ˈtaɪ mɪk/.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for thymol

Historical Examples of thymol

Our return to thymol for intestinal parasites is interesting.
Old-Time Makers of Medicine
James J. Walsh
They have the odor of thymol or menthol and an acid taste and reaction.
The Propaganda for Reform in Proprietary Medicines, Vol. 2 of 2
Various
His results with phenol, thymol, and salicylic acid have been unfavorable.
Scientific American Supplement, No. 344, August 5, 1882
Various
Malefern, santonine, thymol and other anthelmintic remedies are prescribed.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 2
Various
Filter the solution obtained and treat with an acid—hydrochloric acid, for example—which sets free the thymol.
Cooley's Practical Receipts, Volume II
Arnold Cooley

British Dictionary definitions for thymol

thymol

noun

a white crystalline substance with an aromatic odour, obtained from the oil of thyme and used as a fungicide, antiseptic, and anthelmintic and in perfumery and embalming; 2-isopropylphenol. Formula: (CH 3) 2 CHC 6 H 3 (CH 3)OH

Word Origin for thymol

C19: from thyme + -ol ²

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

thymol in Medicine

thymol

[thī′môl′, -mōl′]

n.

A white crystalline aromatic compound derived from thyme oil and other oils or made synthetically and used as an antiseptic, a fungicide, and a preservative.