noun
: a member of the series of water-soluble poly-ether glycols HOCH 2 CH 2 (OCH 2 CH 2 ) n OH higher than diethylene glycol and triethylene glycol that vary from water-white liquids to waxy solids as the average molecular weight increases from 200 to 6000 or more, that are usually obtained as mixtures by condensation of ethylene oxide with water or diethylene glycol, and that are used chiefly as lubricants (as in the rubber and textile industries), solvents, softeners, bases for pharmaceutical ointments and cosmetic creams, and in the form of their fatty acid esters as surface-active agents
commercially available polyethylene glycols are designated by numbers that approximate their average molecular weights — Franklin Johnston
— compare polyglycol