fusel oil

fu·sel oil  (fyzl)

n.

An acrid, oily, poisonous liquid mixture of amyl alcohols, occurring in incompletely distilled alcoholic liquids and used as a solvent and in the manufacture of explosives and pure amyl alcohols.

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[German Fusel, bad liquor, from Low German.]

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fusel oil  (fyzl)

An acrid, oily, poisonous liquid occurring in the distillation products of fermented alcoholic liquids. Fusel oil is a mixture of amyl alcohols, fatty acids, and esters. It is used in paints, plastics, and varnishes, and in the manufacture of explosives.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

fusel oil - a mixture of amyl alcohols and propanol and butanol formed from distillation of fermented liquors oil - a slippery or viscous liquid or liquefiable substance not miscible with water