orcinol

[ awr-suh-nawl, -nol ]

noun

, Chemistry.

1. a white, crystalline, water-soluble solid, C 7 H 8 O 2 , sweet but unpleasant in taste, that reddens on exposure to air: obtained from many lichens or produced synthetically and used chiefly as a reagent for certain carbohydrates.

orcinol

/ ˈɔːsɪn; ˈɔːsɪˌnɒl /

noun

1. a colourless crystalline water-soluble solid that occurs in many lichens and from which the dyes found in litmus are derived. Formula: CH 3 C 6 H 3 (OH) 2

Word History and Origins

Origin of orcinol¹

1875–80; < New Latin orcin ( a ) (< Italian orcello orchil, by alteration) + -ol ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of orcinol¹

C20: from New Latin orcina, from Italian orcello orchil