Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Any of various diols, usually containing vicinal hydroxyl groups.
  • noun Ethylene glycol.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The general name of a class of compounds intermediate in their properties and chemical relations between alcohol and glycerol, or the bodies of which these are the types.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A thick, colorless liquid, C2H4(OH)2, of a sweetish taste, produced artificially from certain ethylene compounds. It is a diacid alcohol, intermediate between ordinary ethyl alcohol and glycerin.
  • noun Any one of the large class of diacid alcohols, of which glycol proper is the type.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun organic chemistry Any aliphatic diol.
  • noun organic chemistry A thick, colourless liquid, C2H4(OH)2, of a sweetish taste, produced artificially from certain ethylene compounds and used as an antifreeze; ethylene glycol.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a sweet but poisonous syrupy liquid used as an antifreeze and solvent
  • noun any of a class of alcohols having 2 hydroxyl groups in each molecule

Etymologies

Sorry, no etymologies found.

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word glycol.

Examples

  • Blumenfeld mentions that e-liquids are largely unregulated and contain propylene glycol, which is a key ingredient in antifreeze but also one found in tobacco cigarettes and some foods.

    High-tech smokes help some kick habit, but are they safe? 2011

  • Blumenfeld mentions that e-liquids are largely unregulated and contain propylene glycol, which is a key ingredient in antifreeze but also one found in tobacco cigarettes and some foods.

    High-tech smokes help some kick habit, but are they safe? 2011

  • Mike Brady, chief executive of the Los Angeles company, says they contain methylene glycol, which is formaldehyde that has reacted with water, not formaldehyde per se.

    The Taming of the Curl Anjali Athavaley 2011

  • His death was originally ruled a suicide by ingesting ethylene glycol, which is found in anti-freeze, but detectives continued to investigate the death, eventually ruling it a homicide.

    Archive 2007-09-09 Bill Crider 2007

  • His death was originally ruled a suicide by ingesting ethylene glycol, which is found in anti-freeze, but detectives continued to investigate the death, eventually ruling it a homicide.

    Femme Fatale Bill Crider 2007

  • An FBI bulletin said that preliminary chemical analysis revealed the presence of ethylene glycol, which is used in coolants and antifreezes.

    CNN Transcript Dec 29, 2009 2009

  • JOSHUA SHARFSTEIN, FDA PRINCIPAL DEPUTY COMMISSIONER: We found varying levels of nicotine, carcinogens, which are cancer - causing chemicals, and even a poison in it, the ethylene glycol, which is found in anti-freeze.

    CNN Transcript Jul 23, 2009 2009

  • UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We found varying levels of nicotine, carcinogens, which are cancer-causing chemicals, and even a poison, and it's ethylene glycol, which is found in antifreeze.

    CNN Transcript Jul 23, 2009 2009

  • A viscous liquid called glycol borate -- "gu" -- instead of distilled water.

    The Transistor 2008

  • The cap is lined with polyethylene terephthalate, or PETE, made from ethylene glycol, which is made from ethylene and ultimately tied to the products of photosynthesis millions of years ago.

    Archive 2008-12-01 doyle 2008

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.