carbolic
1
9.2
- noun
- /ˈkɑrˌbɑlɪk/
- Archaic
:
ácido carbólico
- What you did was to spray the air around the patient, applying carbolic acid also directly to the wound.
Examples
-
One little frolic With new Zaz carbolic
-
SMA, Carbolic has it right.
Blog text (11) -
Gas mixtures, creosote and carbolic acid had a large vogue in these centuries.
-
The doctor used carbolic acid to clean the surgical tools before the operation.
-
In the past, hospitals relied heavily on carbolic acid as an effective disinfectant.
-
She treated the cuts on his hand with carbolic to prevent infection.
Synonyms
1
8.0
A toxic chemical used to kill germs and to make other chemicals, also called phenol
Compounds
- Archaic
1
8.0
A toxic chemical used to kill germs and to make other chemicals, also called phenol
Surface Forms
Morphology
carbolic = carbol + ic
The noun use ('carbolic' = phenol / carbolic acid) comes from the same combining form plus '-ic' but remains a specialized chemical term based on a non‑productive combining form, so the relation is not transparent to typical learners.
Etymology
Carbolic as a noun comes from the Latin root carbo meaning 'coal' because the acid was first made from coal tar. That's why carbolic was used to clean wounds and has a strong, harsh smell.