Definitions

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

  • noun A yellowish oily aromatic substance, C7H8O2, derived from guaiacum or wood creosote and used chiefly as an expectorant, antiseptic, and local anesthetic.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Same as guiacol.

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

  • noun (Chem.) A colorless liquid, C7H8O2, with a peculiar odor. It is the methyl ether of pyrocatechin, and is obtained by distilling guaiacum from wood-tar creosote, and in other ways. It has been used in the past for treating pulmonary tuberculosis.

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

  • noun organic chemistry A naturally occurring aromatic organic compound with the chemical formula C6H4(OH)(OCH3), having certain medicinal applications.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[guaiac(um) + –ol.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

guaiacum, from which it can be derived, and -ol.

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