Phrase guide

citric acid

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • /ˌsɪtɹɪk ˈæsɪd/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A colourless crystalline compound, 2-hydroxy-1,2,3-propanetricarboxylic acid, C6H8O7, found in citrus fruit; it is used as a food additive and in the manufacture of citrates.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

Topics: chemistry, natural-sciences, organic-chemistry, physical-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

a weak water-soluble acid found in many fruits (especially citrus fruits); used as a flavoring agent

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: acid

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

37 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Catalan: àcid cítric — 2-hydroxy-1,2,3-propanetricarboxylic acid, C6H8O7
  • Chinese Mandarin: 檸檬酸 /柠檬酸 (níngméngsuān) — 2-hydroxy-1,2,3-propanetricarboxylic acid, C6H8O7
  • Czech: kyselina citrónová — 2-hydroxy-1,2,3-propanetricarboxylic acid, C6H8O7
  • Danish: citronsyre — 2-hydroxy-1,2,3-propanetricarboxylic acid, C6H8O7
  • Dutch: citroenzuur — 2-hydroxy-1,2,3-propanetricarboxylic acid, C6H8O7
  • Esperanto: citrata acido — 2-hydroxy-1,2,3-propanetricarboxylic acid, C6H8O7
  • Finnish: sitruunahappo — 2-hydroxy-1,2,3-propanetricarboxylic acid, C6H8O7
  • French: acide citrique — 2-hydroxy-1,2,3-propanetricarboxylic acid, C6H8O7
  • Galician: ácido cítrico — 2-hydroxy-1,2,3-propanetricarboxylic acid, C6H8O7
  • German: Zitronensäure — 2-hydroxy-1,2,3-propanetricarboxylic acid, C6H8O7
  • German: Citronensäure — 2-hydroxy-1,2,3-propanetricarboxylic acid, C6H8O7
  • Greek: κιτρικό οξύ (kitrikó oxý) — 2-hydroxy-1,2,3-propanetricarboxylic acid, C6H8O7
  • Hungarian: citromsav — 2-hydroxy-1,2,3-propanetricarboxylic acid, C6H8O7
  • Icelandic: sítrónusýra — 2-hydroxy-1,2,3-propanetricarboxylic acid, C6H8O7
  • Indonesian: asam sitrat — 2-hydroxy-1,2,3-propanetricarboxylic acid, C6H8O7
  • Irish: aigéad citreach — 2-hydroxy-1,2,3-propanetricarboxylic acid, C6H8O7
  • Italian: acido citrico — 2-hydroxy-1,2,3-propanetricarboxylic acid, C6H8O7
  • Japanese: クエン酸 (kuen-san) — 2-hydroxy-1,2,3-propanetricarboxylic acid, C6H8O7
  • Japanese: 枸櫞酸 (kuen-san) — 2-hydroxy-1,2,3-propanetricarboxylic acid, C6H8O7
  • Macedonian: лимонска киселина (limonska kiselina) — 2-hydroxy-1,2,3-propanetricarboxylic acid, C6H8O7
  • Malay: asid sitrik — 2-hydroxy-1,2,3-propanetricarboxylic acid, C6H8O7
  • Māori: waikawa hīmoe — 2-hydroxy-1,2,3-propanetricarboxylic acid, C6H8O7
  • Norwegian Bokmål: sitronsyre — 2-hydroxy-1,2,3-propanetricarboxylic acid, C6H8O7
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: sitronsyre — 2-hydroxy-1,2,3-propanetricarboxylic acid, C6H8O7
  • Portuguese: ácido cítrico — 2-hydroxy-1,2,3-propanetricarboxylic acid, C6H8O7
  • Romanian: acid citric — 2-hydroxy-1,2,3-propanetricarboxylic acid, C6H8O7
  • Romanian: sare de lămâie — 2-hydroxy-1,2,3-propanetricarboxylic acid, C6H8O7
  • Russian: лимо́нная кислота́ (limónnaja kislotá) — 2-hydroxy-1,2,3-propanetricarboxylic acid, C6H8O7
  • Serbo-Croatian: ли̏мӯнска̄ киселѝна — 2-hydroxy-1,2,3-propanetricarboxylic acid, C6H8O7
  • Serbo-Croatian: lȉmūnskā kiselìna — 2-hydroxy-1,2,3-propanetricarboxylic acid, C6H8O7
  • Spanish: ácido cítrico — 2-hydroxy-1,2,3-propanetricarboxylic acid, C6H8O7
  • Swedish: citronsyra — 2-hydroxy-1,2,3-propanetricarboxylic acid, C6H8O7
  • Telugu: సిట్రిక్ ఆమ్లం (siṭrik āmlaṁ) — 2-hydroxy-1,2,3-propanetricarboxylic acid, C6H8O7
  • Thai: กรดซิตริก — 2-hydroxy-1,2,3-propanetricarboxylic acid, C6H8O7
  • Thai: กรดมะนาว — 2-hydroxy-1,2,3-propanetricarboxylic acid, C6H8O7
  • Turkish: sitrik asit — 2-hydroxy-1,2,3-propanetricarboxylic acid, C6H8O7
  • Turkish: limon tuzu — 2-hydroxy-1,2,3-propanetricarboxylic acid, C6H8O7