Aldehol

/ˈæl.də.hɔːl/ noun

Definition

An obsolete or archaic term for a type of alcohol or alcoholic substance, sometimes used to refer to specific chemical compounds with aldehyde properties.

Etymology

From aldehyde + alcohol, blending chemical nomenclature from the 18th-19th centuries when organic chemistry terminology was being standardized; the term fell out of use as more precise chemical names were adopted.

Kelly Says

This word is a linguistic fossil showing how chemists tried different naming systems before settling on modern conventions—it's like watching the birth of a scientific language that didn't quite survive.

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