The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
n. A heavy, colorless, toxic liquid, C2HCl3, used to degrease metals, as an extraction solvent for oils and waxes, as a refrigerant, in dry cleaning, and as a fumigant.
n. the unsaturated chlorinated hydrocarbon C(Cl)2=CHCl used as an industial solvent
WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
n. a heavy colorless highly toxic liquid used as a solvent to clean electronic components and for dry cleaning and as a fumigant; causes cancer and liver and lung damage
Word Usage
"•By far, the most common contaminant is a chlorinated solvent called trichloroethylene, or "trike," and its breakdown products -- substances known to cause birth defects and cancer and reaching concentrations thousands of times higher than federal drinking water standards allow."