Link Centre Dictionary

chloroform

chlo·ro·form

UK/ˈklɒɹə(ʊ)ˌfɔː(ɹ)m/ US/ˈklɔrʌˌfɔrm/ uncommon
noun (1) verb (1)

noun

1.

a volatile liquid haloform (CHCl3); formerly used as an anesthetic

  • “chloroform was the first inhalation anesthetic”
Synonyms

verb

1.

anesthetize with chloroform

  • “Doctors used to put people under by chloroforming them”

Origin

Borrowed from French chloroforme, portmanteau of terchloride (tertiary chloride, trichloride) and formyle (CH, an obsolete radical of formic acid) by Jean-Baptiste Dumas, from 1834. By surface analysis, chloro- + -form.

Related words

Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.