thymol

[ thahy-mohl, -mawl ]

noun

, Chemistry, Pharmacology.

1. a colorless, crystalline, slightly water-soluble solid, C 10 H 14 O, 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.

thymol

/ ˈθaɪmɒl /

noun

1. 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 History and Origins

Origin of thymol¹

First recorded in 1855–60; thyme + -ol ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of thymol¹

C19: from thyme + -ol ²

Example Sentences

Some ingredients — lemon oil, vinegar, thymol — sound more like the makings of salad dressing with a few extras tossed in.

From Washington Post

We suspect that the menthol, camphor, eucalyptus oil, thymol and other essential oils in Vicks trigger special receptors in the skin.

From Seattle Times

It doesn’t contain alcohol but claims to kill 99.9% of germs, using botanical ingredients such as thymol.

From Seattle Times

We suspect that the menthol, eucalyptol, camphor and thymol are stimulating sensory nerves on the soles of the feet.

From Seattle Times

Zilberstein was concerned about the state of the manuscript, which smelled slightly of mint, a sign that it had been treated with thymol, an antifungal chemical.

From The New Yorker