- Main Entry:
- ni·trile

- Pronunciation:
-
\ˈnī-trəl, -ˌtrī(-ə)l\
- Function:
- noun
- Etymology:
- International Scientific Vocabulary nitr- + -il, -ile (from Latin -ilis 1-ile)
- Date:
- 1848
: an organic cyanide containing the group CN which on hydrolysis yields an acid with elimination of ammonia