picric acid
- noun
- /ˈpɪkrɪk ˈæsɪd/
- Specialized
:
ácido pícrico
- The laboratory was evacuated after detecting the presence of picric acid, which can become dangerously unstable over time.
Examples
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As an example, picric acid crystallizes and becomes explosive with age.
Academic text (2002) -
Scientists handle picric acid with extreme caution due to its highly toxic and explosive nature.
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Workers must wear protective equipment when dealing with picric acid in order to avoid serious health risks.
Synonyms
A yellow chemical used as a dye, to kill germs, and in explosives
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound follows the productive pattern 'X + acid', so a learner who knows both words can infer it names a particular kind of acid (partial compositionality). However, 'picric' is a specialized lexical root with no clear everyday meaning and the specific properties (yellow, highly toxic, explosive) are technical and not derivable from the parts, so full understanding requires domain knowledge.
Etymology
Picric acid comes from the Greek word pikros, which means 'bitter'. Early scientists named it for its bitter taste and bright yellow color, so the name helps remember that picric acid is a yellow and toxic chemical.
