orcinol: Meaning and Definition of

or•ci•nol

Pronunciation: (ôr'su-nôl", -nol"), [key]
— n. Chem.
  1. a white, crystalline, water-soluble solid, CHO, sweet but unpleasant in taste, that reddens on exposure to air: obtained from many lichens or produced synthetically and used chiefly as a reagent for certain carbohydrates.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.