Chloral
/ˈklɔːr.æl/noun
A colorless, pungent liquid aldehyde used in making chloral hydrate and other chemicals.
Did you know?Chloral was coined in the 19th century from the same Greek root that gave us chlorine, and that root originally referred to a pale green-yellow hue, not a chemical spell.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
khlōrós
“pale green, greenish-yellow, fresh”
Late 18th Century
French
chlore
“chlorine, the newly identified greenish-yellow element”
1830s
German
Chloral
“the aldehyde derived from chlorine chemistry”
Mid-19th Century
English
chloral
“the chemical compound now called chloral”
Explore more surprising origins