chloroform

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun a volatile liquid haloform (CHCl3); formerly used as an anesthetic
  2. verb anesthetize with chloroform

Etymology

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.

In classic literature

Synonyms

trichloromethane

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