Meanings
- uncountablechemistryA halogenated hydrocarbon, trichloromethane, CHCl₃; it is a volatile, sweet-smelling liquid, used extensively as a solvent and formerly as an anesthetic.
Some assume that chloroform is a gas because it was given by inhalation.
1 more example
If vapour of chloroform be passed over red-hot iron or copper it is entirely decomposed.
1838, Thomas Thomson, “Chloroform”, in Chemistry of Organic Bodies, Vegetables, page 313Synonyms: trichloromethane, Guthrie's sweet whiskey, sweet whiskey
present singular third person chloroforms · participle present chloroforming · participle past chloroformed · past chloroformed
- transitiveTo treat, or to render unconscious, with chloroform.
Geoffrey was first chloroformed, I think. The hand that picked Nipper up to dispose of him had certainly touched chloroform just before. Drugged; does that bring us nearer by taking us further away, I wonder?
1934, Ernest Bramah [pseudonym; Ernest Brammah Smith], The Bravo of London
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA halogenated hydrocarbon, trichloromethane, CHCl₃; it is a volatile, sweet-smelling liquid, used extensively as a solvent and formerly as an anesthetic.
More synonyms by meaning
nouna volatile liquid haloform (CHCl3); formerly used as an anesthetic
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Frenchchloroforme
- Englishchloroform
Borrowed from French chloroforme, portmanteau of terchloride (tertiary chloride, trichloride) and formyle (CH, an obsolete radical of formic acid) by Jean-Baptiste Dumas, from 1834. By surface analysis, chloro- + -form.
More words from French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans chloroform
- chloroform(chemistry) an anesthetic
Arabic كْلُورُوفُورْم
- كْلُورُوفُورْم (klurufūrm)(chemistry) an anesthetic
Basque kloroformo
- kloroformo(chemistry) an anesthetic
Bulgarian хлороформ
- хлороформ (hloroform)(chemistry) an anesthetic
Catalan cloroform
- cloroform(chemistry) an anesthetic
Chinese Cantonese 氯仿
- 氯仿 (luk⁶ fong²)(chemistry) an anesthetic
Chinese Mandarin 氯仿, 哥羅仿 /哥罗仿
- 氯仿 (lǜfǎng)(chemistry) an anesthetic
- 哥羅仿 /哥罗仿 (gēluófǎng)(chemistry) an anesthetic
Czech chloroform
- chloroform(chemistry) an anesthetic
Danish kloroform
- kloroform(chemistry) an anesthetic
Dutch chloroform
- chloroform(chemistry) an anesthetic
Esperanto kloroformo
- kloroformo(chemistry) an anesthetic
Finnish kloroformi, nukuttaa kloloformilla
- kloroformi(chemistry) an anesthetic
- nukuttaa kloloformillato treat with chloroform, or to render unconscious with chloroform
- tainnuttaa kloloformillato treat with chloroform, or to render unconscious with chloroform
French chloroforme, chloroformer
- chloroforme(chemistry) an anesthetic
- chloroformerto treat with chloroform, or to render unconscious with chloroform
German Chloroform
- Chloroform(chemistry) an anesthetic
Greek χλωροφόρμιο
- χλωροφόρμιο (chlorofórmio)(chemistry) an anesthetic
Hindi क्लोरोफार्म
- क्लोरोफार्म (klorophārm)(chemistry) an anesthetic
Hungarian kloroform, kloroformoz
- kloroform(chemistry) an anesthetic
- kloroformozto treat with chloroform, or to render unconscious with chloroform
- kloroformmal elaltatto treat with chloroform, or to render unconscious with chloroform
Icelandic klóróform
- klóróform(chemistry) an anesthetic
Italian cloroformio, cloroformizzare
- cloroformio(chemistry) an anesthetic
- cloroformizzareto treat with chloroform, or to render unconscious with chloroform
Japanese クロロホルム
- クロロホルム (kurorohorumu)(chemistry) an anesthetic
Korean 클로로포름
- 클로로포름 (keulloroporeum)(chemistry) an anesthetic
Latin chloroformium chloroformum
- chloroformium chloroformum(chemistry) an anesthetic
Māori kororohama
- kororohama(chemistry) an anesthetic
Polish chloroform, chloroformować
- chloroform(chemistry) an anesthetic
- chloroformowaćto treat with chloroform, or to render unconscious with chloroform
Portuguese clorofórmio
- clorofórmio(chemistry) an anesthetic
Romanian cloroform
- cloroform(chemistry) an anesthetic
Russian хлорофо́рм
- хлорофо́рм (xlorofórm)(chemistry) an anesthetic
Slovak chloroform
- chloroform(chemistry) an anesthetic
Spanish cloroformo, cloroformizar
- cloroformo(chemistry) an anesthetic
- cloroformizarto treat with chloroform, or to render unconscious with chloroform
Swedish kloroform
- kloroform(chemistry) an anesthetic
Tagalog kloropormo
- kloropormo(chemistry) an anesthetic
Thai คลอโรฟอร์ม
- คลอโรฟอร์ม (klɔɔ-roo-fɔɔm)(chemistry) an anesthetic
Turkish kloroform
- kloroform(chemistry) an anesthetic
Ukrainian хлорофо́рм
- хлорофо́рм (xlorofórm)(chemistry) an anesthetic
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with chloroform
Cite this entry
chloroform. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chloroform
“chloroform.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chloroform. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “chloroform,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chloroform.
Source: chloroform on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.