SINCE 1828

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

Medical Dictionary

methylglyoxal

play

noun meth·yl·gly·ox·al \-glī-ˈäk-sal\

Medical Definition of methylglyoxal

: a yellow pungent volatile oil C₃H₄O₂ that polymerizes readily and is formed as an intermediate in the metabolism or fermentation of carbohydrates and lactic acid—called also pyruvaldehyde

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up methylglyoxal? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

WORD OF THE DAY

gauche

play

lacking social experience or grace

Words at Play

Words and Phrases That Come from the Dinner Table

Fill your plate with these surprising food words

ghost-being-disinvited-from-party

'Disinvite' or 'Uninvite'?

A disinvited guest is an uninvited problem

alt-596f730ceb5ae

Words We're Watching: 'Scoby'

Kombucha lovers unite.

alt-596e1a928254c

Words We're Watching: 'Fidget Spinner'

Don't fight the fad

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066

Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless

Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals

Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

The Emoji Quiz

Think you’re an emoji 👓 expert? Let’s see 🤔

Take the quiz

A Game of Thrones Word Quiz

In the Game of Thrones quiz, you learn some new vocabulary. (It’s quite safe, really. You will not die.)

Take the quiz

Name That Thing

Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

Take the quiz

Syn City

Build a city of skyscrapers—one synonym at a time.

Play the game