A compound containing both an aldehyde group and an alcohol group, or the product of an aldol condensation reaction combining two aldehyde molecules.
From aldehyde plus alcohol, blended together (ald- from aldehyde, -ol from alcohol). Coined in the 19th century when this important reaction was first discovered and studied.
The aldol condensation is so fundamental that it's called a 'named reaction'—when a chemical process becomes famous enough for its discoverer's name to stick, like the 'Grignard reaction' or 'Wittig reaction,' you know it's incredibly important, and aldol reactions build an enormous fraction of all drugs and chemicals.
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