Naphthol
/ˈnæfθɒl/noun
Any of several aromatic alcohols derived from naphthalene, especially 1-naphthol or 2-naphthol.
Did you know?Its ancestral word, naphtha, referred to flammable petroleum-like substances used in antiquity, giving naphthol a name rooted in ancient combustible matter.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Persian
Old Persian
napta
“A naturally occurring flammable liquid or bituminous substance”
Classical Antiquity
Greek
νάφθα (náphtha)
“Naphtha; a combustible petroleum-like liquid”
16th Century
Latin
naphtha
“A volatile, inflammable bitumen or petroleum substance”
1821
English
naphthalene
“A crystalline hydrocarbon obtained from coal tar, named from naphtha”
Late 19th Century
German/English
Naphthol
“An alcohol chemically derived from naphthalene”
Modern English
English
naphthol
“An aromatic alcohol used particularly in dyes, pigments, and chemical synthesis”
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