fusel oil

noun

A mixture of several higher-order alcohols (having more than two carbon atoms) formed as byproduct in the normal fermentation process, captured as part of the tailings in distillation. An excessive concentration, as in low-quality moonshine, causes unpleasant taste.

Similar
fuselfusel alcoholfuselolpotato oil
OriginGerman Fuselöl →
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Meanings

nounfusel oil (plural fusel oils)

plural fusel oils

  1. A mixture of several higher-order alcohols (having more than two carbon atoms) formed as byproduct in the normal fermentation process, captured as part of the tailings in distillation. An excessive concentration, as in low-quality moonshine, causes unpleasant taste.

    […] and many simply blamed on the Doosra's known enthusiasms for opium, ganja, and any number of local fusel oils, singly or combined, named and nameless.

    2006, Thomas Pynchon, “Against the Day”, in Against the Day, New York, N.Y.: Penguin Press, →ISBN, page 756
    1 more example

    As for drinking, I am something of a chemist and I have yet to find a liquor that is free from traces of a number of poisons, some of them deadly, such as fusel oil, acetic acid, ethylacetate, acetaldehyde and furfurol.

    1959, Ian Fleming, chapter 11, in Goldfinger

    Synonyms: fusel, fusel alcohol, fuselol, potato oil

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA mixture of several higher-order alcohols (having more than two carbon atoms) formed as byproduct in the normal fermentation process, captured as part of the tailings in distillation. An excessive concentration, as in low-quality moonshine, causes unpleasant taste.

Similar
fuselfusel alcoholfuselolpotato oil
Also see
fusel alcoholfuselolpotato oil

Origin

  1. GermanFuselöl
  2. Englishfusel oil

Partial calque of German Fuselöl, from Fusel, referring to low-quality alcoholic beverages in general, especially to inferior wines and spirits distilled with inadequate equipment.

More words from German

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Dutch foezelolie
  • foezeloliebyproduct of alcoholic fermentation
Finnish sikunaöljy
  • sikunaöljybyproduct of alcoholic fermentation
French fusel
  • fuselbyproduct of alcoholic fermentation
German Fuselöl
  • Fuselölbyproduct of alcoholic fermentation
Polish fuzel, niedogon
  • fuzelbyproduct of alcoholic fermentation
  • niedogonbyproduct of alcoholic fermentation
Russian сиву́шное ма́сло
  • сиву́шное ма́сло (sivúšnoje máslo)byproduct of alcoholic fermentation
Spanish aceite de fusel
  • aceite de fuselbyproduct of alcoholic fermentation
Swedish finkelolja, finkel
  • finkeloljabyproduct of alcoholic fermentation
  • finkelbyproduct of alcoholic fermentation
Turkish füzel yağı
  • füzel yağıbyproduct of alcoholic fermentation
Cite this entry
APA

fusel oil. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fusel%20oil

MLA

“fusel oil.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fusel%20oil. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “fusel oil,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fusel%20oil.

Source: fusel oil on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.