paraformaldehyde: Meaning and Definition of

par•a•form•al•de•hyde

Pronunciation: (par"u-fôr-mal'du-hīd", -fur-), [key]
— n. Chem.
  1. a white, crystalline polymer of formaldehyde, (HCOH), from which it is obtained by evaporation of the aqueous solution: used chiefly as an antiseptic. Also called
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.