“+ noun
Etymology: penta- + erythritol
1. : a crystalline tetrahydroxy alcohol C(CH 2 OH) 4 derived from neopentane that is made by reaction of formaldehyde and acetaldehyde in the presence of an alkaline condensing agent (as a slurry of calcium hydroxide) and that is used chiefly in making alkyd resins and other synthetic resins, synthetic drying oils, and explosives
2. : a polyhydroxy ether alcohol formed by condensation usually of two or three molecules of pentaerythritol in the synthesis of pentaerythritol