Word
glycol
Phoneticsgly·col
US/ˈɡɫaɪˌkoʊɫ/
UK/ɡlˈaɪkɒl/
Definition
n. a chemical substance used to make plastics and other industrial materials. It is also used to keep things cool by absorbing heat.
n. a chemical compound used as a precursor in the production of polyester and polyurethane. It functions as a coolant by absorbing latent heat during phase transitions.
Examples
“The factory uses glycol to produce plastic bottles.”
“Engineers added glycol to the cooling system to prevent the engine from overheating during the summer months.”
“The chemical properties of glycol make it an essential component in the synthesis of synthetic fibers, where it reacts with dicarboxylic acids to form long polymer chains.”
Examples
simple
“The factory uses glycol to produce plastic bottles.”
contextual
“Engineers added glycol to the cooling system to prevent the engine from overheating during the summer months.”
complex
“The chemical properties of glycol make it an essential component in the synthesis of synthetic fibers, where it reacts with dicarboxylic acids to form long polymer chains.”
Etymology
From Ancient Greek γλυκύς (glukús, “sweet”) + -ol.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/glycol