Lewis acid

noun Chemistry.

any substance capable of forming a covalent bond with a base by accepting a pair of electrons from it.

Origin of Lewis acid

First recorded in 1940–45; named after G. N. Lewis

British Dictionary definitions for lewis acid

Lewis acid

noun

a substance capable of accepting a pair of electrons from a base to form a covalent bond Compare Lewis base

Word Origin for Lewis acid

C20: named after G. N. Lewis (1875–1946), US chemist