| ̷ ̷ ̷ ̷ at hydro- +...- noun
Etymology: hydrofluoric International Scientific Vocabulary hydr- + fluoric; probably originally formed as French hydrofluorique
: a weak poisonous liquid acid HF that is formed by solution of hydrogen fluoride in water, that resembles hydrochloric acid chemically but attacks silica and silicates (as glass or porcelain) forming gaseous silicon tetrafluoride and must therefore be handled and stored in equipment of steel, lead, rubber, wax, or other nonsilicate materials, and that is used chiefly in making other fluorine compounds, in polishing and etching glass, and in pickling metals