mercuric chloride

noun

: a heavy crystalline poisonous compound HgCl2 used as a disinfectant and fungicide and in photography

Examples of mercuric chloride in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
At the time of his professorial appointment to Johns Hopkins Hospital, Halsted routinely relied on the use of antibacterial solutions of mercuric chloride and carbolic acid in the operating theatre. Rebecca Kreston, Discover Magazine, 29 Aug. 2015

Word History

First Known Use

1869, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of mercuric chloride was in 1869

Dictionary Entries Near mercuric chloride

Cite this Entry

“Mercuric chloride.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mercuric%20chloride. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

Medical Definition

mercuric chloride

noun
: a heavy crystalline poisonous compound HgCl2 used as a disinfectant and fungicide and in photography

called also bichloride, bichloride of mercury, corrosive sublimate, mercury bichloride

More from Merriam-Webster on mercuric chloride

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!