Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
hydroxybenzoic acid

hydroxybenzoic acid

7.6
A chemical made from benzoic acid that is found in some plants and has one extra oxygen and hydrogen atom
  • noun
  • /haɪˌdrɒksɪˈbɛnzoʊɪk ˈæsɪd/
  • Specialized
: ácido hidroxi benzoico
  • Researchers measured the concentration of hydroxybenzoic acid in herbal extracts to study their antioxidant properties.

Examples

  • The chemist synthesized hydroxybenzoic acid in the lab.

  • Many plants contain hydroxybenzoic acids that have medicinal properties.

  • Hydroxybenzoic acid is commonly found in certain fruits and used as a preservative in food products.

  • The presence of hydroxybenzoic acid in urine may indicate the consumption of foods rich in polyphenols.

  • Hydroxybenzoic acid is widely used in organic chemistry as a starting material for the synthesis of various compounds.

  • In nature, hydroxybenzoic acid can be found in high concentrations in fruits like blueberries and cranberries.

  • Food manufacturers often use hydroxybenzoic acid as a preservative to maintain the freshness of their products.

Surface Forms

hydroxybenzoic acid singular
hydroxybenzoic acids plural

Morphology

hydroxybenzoic + acid

The compound is compositionally built from chemical morphemes (hydroxy- indicating an OH group attached to benzoic acid), so its meaning is predictable for learners who know these technical constituents. However, those morphemes are specialist vocabulary and the input even lists 'hydroxybenzoic' as not found in the dictionary, so an average B1 learner—who would not know chemical affixes—would not be able to derive the meaning without prior exposure.

Etymology

Hydroxybenzoic acid is a chemical name that tells its parts: hydroxy (from 'hydro', meaning 'water') points to a small OH group attached to the molecule, and benzoic acid is the acid part. So the name means 'a benzoic acid with a hydroxy part'.