Formic Acid
/ˈfɔːr.mɪk ˈæs.ɪd/noun
A colorless, pungent carboxylic acid found naturally in ant venom and used in industry.
Did you know?Its name comes from Latin formica, because early chemists isolated it from red ants and ant nests, giving a real chemical its eerie insect origin story.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*dʰer-
“to hold, support; possibly the deeper root behind the Latin family that produced formica”
Latin
Latin
formica
“ant”
17th Century
New Latin
acidum formicum
“formic acid, the acid obtained from ants”
18th Century
French/English
acide formique / formic acid
“the acid isolated from ants and later recognized as a distinct chemical”
Modern English
English
formic acid
“the simplest carboxylic acid, HCOOH”
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