Standard Lemma guide

resorcinol

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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  • /ɹəˈzɔː(ɹ)sɪnɒl/

1

noun

Meaning 1

The diphenol meta-dihydroxy benzene, used as a mild antiseptic and in many industrial applications; isomeric with catechol and hydroquinone.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, 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 crystalline phenol obtained from various resins; used in ointments for acne and in dandruff shampoos

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: phenol

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Ancient Greek ῥητῑ́νη (rhētī́nē)bor. Latin rēsīnader. Old French résinebor. Middle English resyn English resin Proto-Indo-European *h2ew- Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *h2ṓws Proto-Italic *auzis Latin auris Proto-Indo-European *-lós Proto-Indo-European *-elós Proto-Italic *-elos Proto-Italic *-kelos Latin -cula Latin auricula Latin ōriculader. Italian oricelloder. Arabic [script needed] ('urjālla)influ. Old Catalan orxellader. Old French orchel French orseilleder. Dutch orseilleder. New Latin orcinader. French orcineder. English orcin Akkadian 𒎎𒋆𒁉𒍣𒁕 (guḫlum)bor. Aramaic כוחלא (kuḥlā)bor. Arabic كُحْل (kuḥl) Andalusian Arabic اَلْكُحُول (al-kuḥūl)bor. Medieval Latin alcoholder. Middle English alcofol English alcohol English -ol English orcinol English resorcinol From resin + orcinol.

Across languages

Translations

4 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 間苯二酚 /间苯二酚 (jiānběn'èrfēn) — meta-dihydroxy benzene
  • Chinese Mandarin: 雷瑣酚 /雷琐酚 (léisuǒfēn) — meta-dihydroxy benzene
  • Chinese Mandarin: 雷瑣辛 /雷琐辛 (léisuǒxīn) — meta-dihydroxy benzene
  • Italian: resorcina — meta-dihydroxy benzene