Methanol
noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 The simplest aliphatic alcohol, CH₃OH; a colourless, toxic, inflammable liquid, used as a solvent, antifreeze, in the chemical industry, and in the preparation of methylated spirit. countable, uncountable
"Eight staff members of a backpacker hostel in Laos have been detained by local authorities as they investigate the deaths of six foreign tourists from suspected methanol poisoning, according to state-affiliated media in the Southeast Asian country."
- 2 a light volatile flammable poisonous liquid alcohol; used as an antifreeze and solvent and fuel and as a denaturant for ethyl alcohol wordnet
Example
More examples"Methanol has the same effects as ethanol, but also makes people blind."
Etymology
From methane + -ol. French chemists Jean-Baptiste Dumas and Eugene Peligot, after determining methanol's chemical structure, introduced "methylene" from the Ancient Greek μέθυ (méthu, “wine”) + ὕλη (húlē, “wood, material”) with the intention of highlighting its origins, "alcohol made from wood (substance)".
Related phrases
More for "methanol"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.