ˈfēˌnōl, -ˌnȯl, -ˌnäl, fēˈnōl noun
( -s )
Etymology: International Scientific Vocabulary phen- + -ol
1. : a soluble crystalline acidic compound C 6 H 5 OH that turns pinkish on exposure to light and air and has a characteristic odor, that is present in coal tar and wood tar, occurs in urine especially of herbivorous animals, and is synthesized by various methods (as from sodium benzenesulfonate by alkaline fusion, from chlorobenzene by hydrolysis, or from cumene by oxidation to cumene hydroperoxide and treatment with sulfuric acid) that is a powerful caustic poison and in dilute solution is a useful disinfectant and that is used otherwise chiefly in making resins and plastics, dyes, pharmaceuticals (as aspirin), and other products (as picric acid 2,4-D) and as a solvent for refining lubricating oils; hydroxy-benzene — called also carbolic acid
2. : any of a class of acidic compounds (as the cresols or resorcinol) analogous to phenol in constitution and regarded as hydroxyl derivatives of aromatic hydrocarbons in which one or more hydroxyl groups are attached directly to the aromatic ring — see naphthol 2, tar acid ; compare alcohol 4