Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
💪 A pain reliever 🍬 A minty flavor
methyl salicylate

methyl salicylate

5.1
A liquid used to give a wintergreen taste or smell in foods and cosmetics
  • noun
  • /ˈmɛθəl səˈlɪsɪˌleɪt/
  • Specialized
translation icon : salicilato de metilo
  • Many toothpastes use methyl salicylate for its minty flavor.

Examples

  • Perfume designers sometimes add methyl salicylate to cosmetic blends to create a sweet, minty note.

  • The children enjoyed candy flavored with methyl salicylate that tasted like wintergreen.

  • The new mouthwash uses methyl salicylate for a refreshing wintergreen aroma and clean feeling.

  • The candy contains methyl salicylate for flavor.

  • The new mouthwash uses methyl salicylate for a refreshing wintergreen aroma and clean feeling.

  • Perfume designers sometimes add methyl salicylate to cosmetic blends to create a sweet, minty note.

  • Many toothpastes use methyl salicylate for its minty flavor.

Synonyms

wintergreen oil
vsmethyl salicylate
5.8

A fragrant oil from wintergreen leaves used to flavor toothpaste and ease muscle aches

is a single chemical ingredient used mostly for flavor and fragrance in consumer products

Surface Forms

methyl salicylate singular
methyl salicylates plural

Morphology

methyl + salicylate

The compound splits into two clear chemical morphemes: 'methyl' (a methyl group) + 'salicylate' (a salicylic-acid derivative), so a learner who knows both parts can infer it is a specific chemical/derivative. However, the precise sensory properties and common uses (the wintergreen flavor/aroma and product applications) are domain-specific and not directly predictable from the parts alone, so the transparency is only partial.

Etymology

Methyl salicylate is the methyl form of salicylate, a compound first found in willow bark. It has a strong 'wintergreen' smell and taste, so makers use it to give a 'wintergreen' flavor or scent in candy, mouthwash, and perfumes.