orcinol

O1R1C3I1N1O1L1

noun

A natural phenolic organic compound that occurs in many species of lichen, used in the production of orcein and as a reagent in some chemical tests for pentoses

OriginEnglish alcohol ← Middle English alcofol ← Medieval Latin alcoho →
Scrabble 9
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Meanings

nounorcinol (countable and uncountable, plural orcinols)

plural orcinols

  1. countableuncountablechemistryA natural phenolic organic compound that occurs in many species of lichen, used in the production of orcein and as a reagent in some chemical tests for pentoses

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₂ew-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*h₂ṓws
  3. Proto-Italic*ausis
  4. Latinauris
  5. Latinauricula
  6. Latinōricula
  7. Italianoricello
  8. Arabic[script needed] ('urjālla)influ.
  9. Old Catalanorxella
  10. Old Frenchorchel
  11. Frenchorseille
  12. Dutchorseille
  13. New Latinorcina
  14. Frenchorcine
  15. Englishorcin
  16. Akkadian𒎎𒋆𒁉𒍣𒁕 (guḫlum)
  17. Aramaicכוחלא (kuḥlā)
  18. Arabicكُحْل (kuḥl)
  19. Andalusian Arabicكُحُول (kuḥūl)
  20. Medieval Latinalcoho
  21. Middle Englishalcofol
  22. Englishalcohol
  23. Englishorcinol

From orcin + -ol.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

orcinol. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/orcinol

MLA

“orcinol.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/orcinol. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “orcinol,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/orcinol.

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