Gentisic

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Denoting a crystalline organic acid, a dihydroxybenzoic acid, found in certain plants and used in chemical synthesis
2. Describing a benzoic acid compound with two hydroxyl groups, obtained from gentian roots or related plant sources
3. Relating to a hydroxylated aromatic acid that occurs naturally in some plants and serves as a chemical building block

Etymology: The name goes back to a king. Gentius, the last king of Illyria, is said in ancient accounts to have used the gentian plant medicinally, and the plant's genus, "Gentiana," took its name from him. The "-ic" ending is the standard chemical suffix for acids, so gentisic acid is simply the acid associated with gentian. The compound is linked to the plant's root chemistry. Gentisin, a yellow compound found in gentian root, can be broken down to yield gentisic acid. Chemists then recognized this acid as a dihydroxy derivative of benzoic acid, closely related to salicylic acid, and it has since been identified in other plants and used in chemical research.