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Glite Dictionary
guaiacol

guaiacol

1 9.9
A substance that gives a smoky taste or smell and is used in medicine and lab tests
  • noun
  • /ˈɡwaɪəˌkɔl/
  • Specialized
: guaiacol
  • The smoky flavor in certain foods can be attributed to the presence of guaiacol.

Examples

  • Some cough syrups contain guaiacol as an active ingredient to help relieve symptoms.

  • The laboratory used guaiacol to test for the presence of peroxidase enzymes.

  • The guaiacol in the smoke gives it a unique flavor.

  • Many people enjoy the guaiacol aroma from burning wood.

  • The smoky flavor of the barbecue was enhanced by the presence of guaiacol in the wood smoke.

  • In laboratory tests, scientists added guaiacol to assess its effectiveness as a chemical reagent.

  • Cough syrups frequently contain guaiacol because of its ability to relieve throat irritation.

Surface Forms

guaiacol singular
guaiacols plural

Morphology

guaiacol = guaiac (opaque) = guaiac + ol

Although formed by the substantive 'guaiac' plus the chemical suffix '-ol', both the base and the chemistry-specific suffix are specialized, so average learners cannot infer the meaning from components.

Etymology

Guaiacol comes from the name of the guaiac tree, a Caribbean wood where the compound was first found, and the ending -ol means 'alcohol'. So guaiacol is a small alcohol that gives a 'smoky' wood smell, which explains its use in flavoring, cough medicines, and lab tests.