carbolic
1
8.1
- adjective
- /kɑrˈbɑlɪk/
- Archaic
:
carbólico
- Desperate, Ellen commits suicide by swallowing carbolic acid.
- carbolic acid
- carbolic soap
Examples
-
A piece of carbolic soap wrapped in a dishcloth.
-
Once more I could smell the carbolic surroundings of a hospital and feel the unfamiliar starched pillowcase beneath my cheek.
Fiction book (1992) -
Well, first, was this, the carbolic spray device that he invented.
-
Could you use carbolic soap or regular skin soap?
Blog text (18) -
And wash your hands, all of you, scrub them in carbolic.
-
- Carbolic soap.
-
Faint carbolic mothballs.
Fiction book (2001) -
The third breakthrough concerns antiseptic surgery, which was promoted by British surgeon Joseph Lister (1827-1912), whose use of carbolic.
Blog text (17) -
"They arranged for cattle and kraal natives, deemed at risk of transmitting the bovine contagion, to be doused in a solution of water and carbolic acid."
Academic text (2006) -
The doctor used carbolic soap to disinfect the surgical instruments before the operation.
Synonyms
1
8.3
Containing or coming from phenol, a chemical in some disinfectants and wines
Containing or treated with a chemical that kills germs
Compounds
- Archaic
1
8.0
A toxic chemical used to kill germs and to make other chemicals, also called phenol
Surface Forms
Morphology
carbolic = carbol + ic
Although formally analyzable as the combining form 'carbol-' + the adjectival suffix '-ic', 'carbol-' is not a standalone, familiar English word and the meaning is specialized (phenol), so learners cannot reliably derive the sense.
Etymology
Carbolic comes from the Latin root carbo meaning 'coal' because the chemical was first found in coal tar. That's why a carbolic lotion is a strong disinfectant and often has a heavy, sharp smell.