Word
chlorine
Phoneticschlo·rine
US/ˈkɫɔɹin/
UK/klˈɔːɹiːn/
Definitions
01chemical element
n. a yellow-green gas that is a chemical element. It is very toxic but useful for making many products.
n. a toxic, gaseous chemical element (symbol Cl) with an atomic number of 17. Uncountable in its general sense.
“The scientist explained how chlorine reacts with other elements to form salt.”
“Chlorine is a highly reactive halogen that is never found in its elemental state in nature, occurring instead in various ionic compounds.”
Technical
02cleaning agent
n. a chemical used to kill bacteria in swimming pools or to clean water.
n. a chlorine-based disinfectant or bleach used for water purification and sanitation.
“The smell of chlorine at the public pool was very strong today.”
“The maintenance crew added extra chlorine to the pool to ensure the water remained sanitary during the heatwave.”
Synonyms
Real-World Examples
“When sunlight strikes those particles, chemical reactions can release chlorine atoms.” “As I push through the doors, the smell of chlorine hits me.” Etymology
Coined by British chemist Humphry Davy in 1810 from Ancient Greek χλωρός (khlōrós, “pale green”) + -ine.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/chlorine