Meanings
nounphthalein (plural phthaleins)
plural phthaleins
- chemistryAny of a range of lactones formed by the reaction of phenols with phthalic anhydride.
Origin
By surface analysis, phthal(ic) + -ein.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Catalan ftaleïna
- ftaleïnarange of lactones
Chinese Cantonese 酞
- 酞 (taai³)range of lactones
Chinese Mandarin 酞
- 酞 (tài)range of lactones
French phtaléine
- phtaléinerange of lactones
Italian ftaleina
- ftaleinarange of lactones
Japanese フタレイン
- フタレイン (futarein)range of lactones
Korean 프탈레인
- 프탈레인 (peutallein)range of lactones
Portuguese ftaleína
- ftaleínarange of lactones
Spanish ftaleína
- ftaleínarange of lactones
Cite this entry
APA
phthalein. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/phthalein
MLA
“phthalein.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/phthalein. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “phthalein,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/phthalein.
Source: phthalein on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.