phenol

Etymology

From French phène, from Ancient Greek φαίνω (phaínō, “to clear”), as it was used for illumination, name given by Auguste Laurente in 1836. Synchronically analyzable as pheno- + -ol

noun

1. (organic chemistry, uncountable) A caustic, poisonous, white crystalline compound, C₆H₅OH, derived from benzene and used in resins, plastics, and pharmaceuticals and in dilute form as a disinfectant and antiseptic; once called carbolic acid
2. (organic chemistry, countable) Any of a class of aromatic organic compounds having at least one hydroxyl group attached directly to the benzene ring (or other aromatic ring)