Meanings
- uncountablechemistryThe simplest carboxylic acid, HCOOH, a colorless, corrosive liquid with a sharp odor; it is present in the stings of ants, bees and nettles, and is prepared industrially by oxidation of methanol or formaldehyde; it has some industrial uses, and its esters, the methanoates, are used in perfumes.
Synonyms: E236, formic acid
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe simplest carboxylic acid, HCOOH, a colorless, corrosive liquid with a sharp odor; it is present in the stings of ants, bees and nettles, and is prepared industrially by oxidation of methanol or formaldehyde; it has some industrial uses, and its esters, the methanoates, are used in perfumes.
Translations
Chinese Cantonese 甲酸
- 甲酸 (gaap³ syun¹)formic acid
Chinese Mandarin 甲酸
- 甲酸 (jiǎsuān)formic acid
Danish methansyre
- methansyreformic acid
Finnish metaanihappo
- metaanihappoformic acid
French acide méthanoïque
- acide méthanoïqueformic acid
German Methansäure
- Methansäureformic acid
Polish kwas mrówkowy
- kwas mrówkowyformic acid
Spanish ácido metanoico
- ácido metanoicoformic acid
Swedish metansyra
- metansyraformic acid
Welsh asid methanöig
- asid methanöigformic acid
Cite this entry
methanoic acid. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/methanoic%20acid
“methanoic acid.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/methanoic%20acid. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “methanoic acid,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/methanoic%20acid.
Source: methanoic acid on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.