Carbol

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Of, containing, or derived from carbolic acid, a caustic chemical compound used as a disinfectant and antiseptic
2. Pertaining to or treated with carbolic acid, a phenolic substance historically employed for sterilization and medical purposes
3. Involving or characterized by carbolic acid, a potent germicide formerly applied in medical and sanitary contexts

Etymology: In 1834, the German chemist Friedlieb Ferdinand Runge extracted a substance from coal tar that later became known as phenol. He called it "Karbolsäure," from "carbon" and "oleum" (Latin for "oil"), with the "-ol" ending later standardized to suggest an alcohol-like compound. English took up the name as "carbolic acid," even though the substance is not an acid in the usual sense. The noun "carbol" is a clipped form of that name, used mostly in older English for the disinfectant itself and for products made with it, such as carbolic soap. Its sharpest fame came in the 1860s, when the surgeon Joseph Lister used carbolic acid to sterilize wounds and instruments, a practice that helped establish antiseptic surgery.