carbolic

car·bol·ic
C3A1R1B3O1L1I1C3

adjective

of, relating to or containing carbolic acid

OriginGerman Carbolsäure →
UncommonScrabble 14
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Meanings

adjectivecarbolic (not comparable)
  1. not comparableof, relating to or containing carbolic acid
nouncarbolic (usually uncountable, plural carbolics)

plural carbolics

  1. uncountableusuallyCarbolic acid or similar disinfectant.

    The carbolics are utilised for disinfectants.

    1916, Chambers's Journal, page 140
    1 more example

    But now, if you are of my opinion, we have had thrills enough for one day, and had best get back to the surgical box at the camp for some carbolic.

    1912, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Lost World […], London; New York, N.Y.: Hodder and Stoughton, →OCLC

Origin

  1. GermanCarbolsäure
  2. Englishcarbolic

Derived from German Carbolsäure (modern German Karbolsäure), which was coined in 1834 by its discoverer Friedlieb Ferdinand Runge. By surface analysis, carb- + -ol + -ic.

More words from German

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Esperanto karbola
  • karbolarelating to or containing carbolic acid

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with carbolic

hydraulicsymbolicalcoholicmetabolicanabolichyperbolicparabolicsystoliccolicdiastolicfroliccatabolicbucolicembolicshambolicaeraulicairdraulicasystolicMongolicrollick
All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

carbolic. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/carbolic

MLA

“carbolic.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/carbolic. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “carbolic,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/carbolic.

Source: carbolic on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.