glycerol

[glis-uh-rawl, -rol]

noun

1. a colorless, odorless, syrupy, sweet liquid, C 3 H 8 O 3 , usually obtained by the saponification of natural fats and oils: used for sweetening and preserving food, in the manufacture of cosmetics, perfumes, inks, and certain glues and cements, as a solvent and automobile antifreeze, and in medicine in suppositories and skin emollients.

glycerol

/ ˈɡlɪsəˌrɒl /

noun

1. Also called (not in technical usage): glycerine.  glycerin. a colourless or pale yellow odourless sweet-tasting syrupy liquid; 1,2,3-propanetriol: a by-product of soap manufacture, used as a solvent, antifreeze, plasticizer, and sweetener ( E422 ). Formula: C 3 H 8 O 3

glycerol

1. A sweet, syrupy liquid obtained from animal fats and oils or by the fermentation of glucose. It is used as a solvent, sweetener, and antifreeze and in making explosives and soaps. Glycerol consists of a propane molecule attached to three hydroxyl (OH) groups. Also called glycerin, glycerine. Chemical formula: C ₃ H ₈ O ₃ .

Word History and Origins

Origin of glycerol¹

First recorded in 1880–85; glycer(in) + -ol ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of glycerol¹

C19: from _glycer ( _ine ) + _-ol ¹

Example Sentences

The government watchdog said slushed ice drinks containing glycerol - a type of sweetener - were unsafe for young children, and consumption of them should be limited for children aged between seven and 10.

From BBC

In countries with no sugar tax, they contain much more glucose and often no glycerol at all, the authors say.

From BBC

The Food Standards Agency advises drinks with glycerol are not suitable for children under age four – but it is not mandatory for companies to print this on food labels.

From BBC

The result is the spillover of free fatty acids and glycerol from fat tissue, a process called lipolysis, that has gone out of control.

From Science Daily

It turns out that fatty acids and glycerol may have undergone phosphorylation to create that more stable, double chain structure.

From Science Daily