glycol
noun
Simple meaning
A thick, colourless liquid, C₂H₄ ₂, of a sweetish taste, produced artificially from certain ethylene compounds and used as an antifreeze.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
glykawlSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈɡlaɪkɔl
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
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.
organic chemistry
A sweet but poisonous syrupy liquid used as an antifreeze and solvent
organic chemistry
Any aliphatic diol.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C1 · Advanced (estimated)
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Formality
- Technical
- Typical Use
- Varies by meaning
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: (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.
Used this way, glycol is a specialist word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. This is a scientific use: it names something precisely within a field of study, so it appears in research and teaching more than in conversation.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Specialist/technical
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Specialized
- Connotation
- Clinical and technical
- Usage feel
- Technical and specialized
Where it naturally appears
- Science
- Academic writing
- Technical/specialist writing
Usage note
In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.
Nearby words
- ethylene glycol , a specialist term, precise but narrower
- diol , a specialist term, precise but narrower
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Other combinations
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Similar Words, What’s the Difference?
Close in meaning, but not always interchangeable.
Any organic compound having two hydroxy functional groups.
An organic compound, HO-CH₂-CH₂-OH, and the chemical structure at right. It is a clear, colorless liquid under normal….
Any of a class of alcohols having 2 hydroxyl groups in each molecule.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A sweet but poisonous syrupy liquid used as an antifreeze and solvent.
A sweet colorless, viscous, hygroscopic liquid used as an antifreeze and in brake fluid and also as a humectant in cosmetics and personal care items although it can be absorbed through the…
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: thick or colourless liquid or C₂H₄(OH)₂
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