(ˈ)ben|zōik- noun
Etymology: International Scientific Vocabulary benz- + -ic
: a lustrous white crystalline acid C 6 H 5 COOH occurring in benzoin and other resins, in cranberries, and combined in the urine of herbivorous animals, made chiefly by decarboxylation of phthalic acid and by oxidation of toluene,and used especially as a preservative of foods, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics, in medicine for the treatment of ringworm, and in organic synthesis