Meanings
nounmethal (uncountable)
- obsoleteuncountablechemistryA white waxy substance, found in small quantities in spermaceti. It may be the same as myristyl alcohol.
Origin
- Ancient Greekμύρον (múron)
- Ancient Greekμυρίζω (murízō)
- Medieval Greekμυριστικός (muristikós)
- Late Latinmyristicus
- Italianmiristico
- Englishmyristic
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂eydʰ-
- Proto-Hellenic*áitʰō
- Ancient Greekαἴθω (aíthō)
- Ancient Greekᾱ̓ήρ (āḗr)influ.?
- Ancient Greekαἰθήρ (aithḗr)
- Latinaethēr
- Englishether
- Akkadian𒎎𒋆𒁉𒍣𒁕 (guḫlum)
- Aramaicכוחלא (kuḥlā)
- Arabicكُحْل (kuḥl)
- Andalusian Arabicكُحُول (kuḥūl)
- Medieval Latinalcoho
- Middle Englishalcofol
- Englishalcohol
- Englishmethal
Blend of myristic + ether + alcohol.
Full word history & related roots →Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
methal. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/methal
MLA
“methal.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/methal. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “methal,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/methal.
Source: methal on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.