(ˈ)äk|salik-, -lēk- noun
Etymology: oxalic from French oxalique, from Latin oxalis garden sorrel + French -ique -ic
: a poisonous strong dicarboxylic acid (COOH) 2 or H 2 C 2 O 4 that is usually obtained as the hygroscopic crystalline dihydrate, that occurs in oxalis and other plants in the form of the acid potassium salt or the calcium salt, that is formed by the oxidation or fermentation of carbohydrates but is made industrially chiefly by heating sodium formate and finally acidifying, and that is used especially as a neutralizing, acidifying, and bleaching agent (as in laundering and in the textile industry), as a cleaning and purifying agent, as a rust and scale remover, in the manufacture of dyes and other chemicals, and in chemical analysis