citral

[ si-truh l ]
/ ˈsɪ trəl /

noun Chemistry.

a pale yellow, water-insoluble, liquid aldehyde, C10H16O, having a strong lemonlike odor, consisting in natural form of two isomers (citral a or geranial and citral b or neral), usually obtained from the oils of lemon and orange or synthetically: used chiefly in perfumery, flavoring, and the synthesis of vitamin A.

Origin of citral

First recorded in 1890–95; citr(us) + -al1

Words nearby citral

citizenship, citizenship papers, citlaltepetl, citlaltépetl, citole, citral, citrate, citreous, citric, citric acid, citric acid cycle

Example sentences from the Web for citral

British Dictionary definitions for citral

citral
/ (ˈsɪtrəl) /

noun

a yellow volatile liquid with a lemon-like odour, found in oils of lemon grass, orange, and lemon and used in perfumery: a terpene aldehyde consisting of the cis- isomer (citral-a or geranial) and the trans- isomer (citral-b or neral). Formula: (CH 3) 2 C:CH(CH 2) 2 C(CH 3):CHCHO

Word Origin for citral

C19: from citr ( us) + -al ³