ethyl alcohol
2
3.5
- noun
- /ˈɛθɪl ˈæl.kə.hɔl/
- Specialized
- In the production of beverages, ethyl alcohol is often the primary ingredient used in fermentation.
- ethyl alcohol is ethanol
Examples
-
For liquid refreshment, we had lemonade and a couple of quarts of distilled ethyl alcohol.
Fiction book (1993) -
Antiseptic wipes often contain ethyl alcohol to effectively kill germs and prevent infection.
-
- Do you have any ethyl alcohol?
-
The addition of an antiseptic such as ethyl alcohol helps prevent itchiness and also serves as a drying agent.
Academic text (2006) -
It is also necessary to emphasize the fact that ethyl alcohol and tobacco were also very significant commodities used by all groups.
Academic text (2007) -
In the lab, scientists use ethyl alcohol as a solvent for various chemical reactions and analyses.
Synonyms
83
4.1
A clear flammable liquid that is the alcohol in drinks and used as a fuel and to dissolve things
5
4.6
Pure alcohol made by heating fermented grain, used in medicine, as a solvent or fuel additive
1
7.7
Very strong clear alcohol used to make drinks like gin or liqueurs
1
8.9
Very strong pure alcohol used in labs or for cleaning
1
4.1
A liquid made by fermenting sugar that is used in beer, wine, and industry
1
7.7
Pure alcohol with almost no water used in labs
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: it denotes the alcohol that contains an ethyl (C2H5) group, i.e. ethanol. For a learner who already knows 'ethyl' and 'alcohol', this follows regular chemical naming patterns (cross-linguistically common), so the overall meaning is inferable rather than idiomatic.
Etymology
Ethyl alcohol is like a name tag: ethyl tells which kind and alcohol is the common word for the drinkable, strong liquid. So the name means the specific chemical 'ethanol' used in drinks, hand sanitizers, and as a fuel.