The story
From phthal(ic) + -ate (“salt or ester”), short for obsolete naphthalic acid, from naphthalene.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
phthalate
phtha·lateToday it means: Any salt or ester of a phthalic acid. Full definition →
Today it means: Any salt or ester of a phthalic acid. Full definition →
From phthal(ic) + -ate (“salt or ester”), short for obsolete naphthalic acid, from naphthalene.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.