Where does “glycol” come from?
Glycol derives from English alcohol, which comes from French alcohol, ultimately from Arabic كحل meaning a fine powder used for eye cosmetics, with the suffix -ol denoting an organic compound.
glycol (English): Any aliphatic diol; A thick, colourless liquid,...
Definitions
- Any aliphatic diol; A thick, colourless liquid,...
Ancestry of “glycol”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | -ol | An alcohol or phenol; Indicating an oily... |
| 2 | English | alcohol | Any of a class of organic compounds containing a... |
| 3 | French | alcohol | Alternative spelling of alcool |
| 4 | Medieval Latin | alcohol | powdered ore of antimony; kohl, collyrium,... |
| 5 | Arabic | كحل | antimony; kohl, stibnite; black coloring of the... |
| 6 | Arabic | كُحْل | antimony; kohl, stibnite |
| 7 | Akkadian | guḫlum | kohl, antimony paste |