anacardic acid

noun

an·​a·​car·​dic acid
¦anə¦kärdik-
: a brown crystalline vesicant phenolic acid found as the principal constituent of cashew nutshell liquid, held to consist of a mixture of unsaturated derivatives of salicylic acid, and converted to cardanol by decarboxylation

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary anacardic (from New Latin Anacardium + International Scientific Vocabulary -ic) + acid; originally formed as German anakardsäure

First Known Use

1848, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of anacardic acid was in 1848

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Cite this Entry

“Anacardic acid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anacardic%20acid. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

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