I. ˈklōrəˌfȯrm, -lȯr- noun
( -s )
Etymology: French chloroforme, from chlor- + -forme (from formyle formyl); from its having been regarded as a trichloride of this radical
: a colorless volatile heavy toxic liquid CHCl 3 of ethereal odor and sweetish taste made usually by chlorination and oxidation of acetone or by chlorination of methane or methyl chloride and used chiefly as a solvent and especially formerly as a general anesthetic or as a carminative and anodyne; trichloro-methane
II. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
: to treat with chloroform or to place under its influence especially so as to produce insensibility or anesthesia ; also : to kill with chloroform