cineole

[ sin-ee-ohl ]

noun

, Chemistry, Pharmacology.

1. a colorless, oily, slightly water-soluble liquid terpene ether, C 10 H 18 O, having a camphorlike odor and a pungent, spicy, cooling taste, found in eucalyptus, cajeput, and other essential oils: used in flavoring, perfumery, and medicine chiefly as an expectorant.

Word History and Origins

Origin of cineole¹

Alteration of New Latin oleum cinae, equivalent to oleum oil + genitive singular of cina wormseed

Example Sentences

While her savoury dishes are historically accurate and authentic, many will be wowed by the sweet things she creates, the fabulous geometric Mondrian pound cake, colourful, circular Hirst cineole cupcakes, and Warhol-esque tomato soup cake.

From The Guardian

To start with, when the level of cineole was low, possums preferred the first enclosure.

From Economist

But as the drip of the titration went up, from 0% to 1% to 2% to 5% and ultimately to 10% of the food being cineole, their behaviour changed.

From Economist

When the food was toxin-free, the possums spent an average of 40 minutes of every hour eating safely under treelike cover and only 20 minutes in the risky, ground-like enclosure, and that scarcely changed for 1% and 2% cineole.

From Economist

The switch began at 5%, and by the time the cineole level had reached 10% the ratio of time the animals spent in the two enclosures had reversed itself—presumably reflecting, though this remains to be tested, the point at which they change trees in the wild.

From Economist