Glycol
/ˈɡlaɪ.kɒl/noun
A colorless, sweet-tasting, toxic alcohol used in antifreeze and chemical manufacturing.
Did you know?The name was coined in the 19th century from Greek glykys (“sweet”) + the chemical suffix -ol, so the word itself preserves the eerie fact that many glycols taste deceptively sweet.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*dl̥h₂gʷús
“sweet”
Ancient Greek
Greek
γλυκύς (glykys)
“sweet, pleasant-tasting”
19th Century
French/Scientific Latin
glycol
“a class of sweet-tasting dihydric alcohols”
Modern English
English
glycol
“a diol, especially ethylene glycol or propylene glycol”