carbolic

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   phenol, especially when used as an antiseptic or disinfectant

   Before modern antiseptics, surgeons often cleaned instruments with carbolic.

2. 2
   adj

   relating to, containing, or treated with phenol

   A sharp carbolic odor lingered in the old hospital corridor.

Coined in the nineteenth century from carbo-, representing carbon, + -ol, the chemical suffix used for alcohols and phenols, + -ic. Carbolic acid became the common name for phenol, especially in its early use as an antiseptic and disinfectant.

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