glycol

noun

gly·​col ˈglī-ˌkȯl  -ˌkōl 

: diol

especially : ethylene glycol

Examples of glycol in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The incident damaged cables and water lines, flooding the base of the antenna with 200,000 gallons of water containing glycol, an environmental hazard. — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 24 July 2026

The report finds that purified terephthalic acid production and monoethylene glycol, used to polymerize polyethylene terephthalate, or PET, are the biggest contributors across nearly all environmental impact categories. — Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 17 June 2026

Releasing the cold on demand The cooling side works through a separate glycol loop. — Munis Raza, Interesting Engineering, 24 Mar. 2026

Soothing green tea leaf extract calms redness, while moisturizing butylene glycol leaves skin feeling dewier and smoother. — Sarah Han, Allure, 27 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary glyc- + -ol

First Known Use

1857, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing glycol

• ethylene glycol
• polyethylene glycol
• propylene glycol

Rhymes for glycol

• aldol
• armhole
• atoll
• awol
• backhaul
• banal
• baseball
• befall
• cabal
• catchall
• cecal
• centrale

Medical Definition

glycol

noun

gly·​col ˈglī-ˌkȯl  -ˌkōl 

: ethylene glycol

broadly : a related alcohol containing two hydroxyl groups