salicylic acid Hear it!

salicylic acid definition

sali·cylic acid (sal′ə sil′ik)

a white, crystalline compound, HOCHCOOH, prepared from salicin or phenol and used in the manufacture of aspirin, as a food preservative and mild antiseptic, etc.

Etymology: salicyl (radical of the acid) < Fr salicyle < L salix (see salicin) + Fr -yle, -yl + -ic

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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