mercapto

M3E1R1C3A1P3T1O1

noun

The univalent radical -SH

OriginEnglish mercaptan ← German Mercaptan →
RareScrabble 14
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Meanings

nounmercapto (uncountable)
  1. especiallyin compoundsuncountablechemistryThe univalent radical -SH

    The postulated mechanism for the reaction of coumarin 4 as an antioxidant, as indicated in Fig 3, relies on the mercapto hydrogen atom (bold), which is under the influence of resonance and inductive effects.

    2015 July 6, “Hydrogen Peroxide Scavenging Activity of Novel Coumarins Synthesized Using Different Approaches”, in PLOS ONE, →DOI

Origin

  1. GermanMercaptan
  2. Englishmercaptan
  3. Englishmercapto

From mercaptan, from Latin mercurius captans (“mercury capturing”).

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

mercapto. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mercapto

MLA

“mercapto.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mercapto. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “mercapto,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mercapto.

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