a white, crystalline compound, CHN, obtained from indigo and other sources and formed as a product of the intestinal putrefaction of proteins: it is used in perfumery, as a reagent, etc.
Origin:
< indigo + phenol
See indole in American Heritage Dictionary 4
noun
A white crystalline compound, C8H7N, obtained from coal tar or various plants and produced by the bacterial decomposition of tryptophan in the intestine. It is used in perfumery and as a reagent.