What does eugenol mean?
Eugenol is a naturally occurring organic compound belonging to the class of phenols, best known as the principal aromatic component of clove oil. It appears as a colorless to pale yellow oily liquid with a strong, spicy, clove-like scent, and it also occurs in nutmeg, cinnamon, basil, and bay leaves. Because of its pleasant aroma and mild antiseptic qualities, eugenol finds wide application as a flavoring in foods and oral-care products such as mouthwash and toothpaste, and as an ingredient in perfumes. In dentistry it holds particular historical importance: mixed with zinc oxide, it forms a sedative filling material long used to relieve toothache. The name derives from Eugenia caryophyllata, the botanical name of the clove tree, itself honoring the botanist Eugenius. While rarely heard outside scientific and trade settings, eugenol is a useful term for readers interested in chemistry, herbal medicine, or the natural sources of familiar flavors and fragrances.
nounA colorless to pale yellow, oily, aromatic liquid compound (C10H12O2) obtained chiefly from clove oil and other essential oils, used as a flavoring, in perfumery, and in dentistry for its antiseptic and analgesic properties.
- A colorless or pale yellow oily phenolic compound obtained from clove oil and other essential oils, used as a flavoring agent, fragrance ingredient, and dental analgesic.
"Dentists have long relied on eugenol, the fragrant compound distilled from cloves, to soothe toothache pain."
"Clove oil owes its distinctive warm aroma largely to eugenol."
"Zinc oxide eugenol cement remains a common material for temporary dental fillings."
Rarely pluralized; usually treated as an uncountable mass noun referring to the substance.
"Trace eugenols can be detected in several spice extracts."
The compound behind clove's numbing bite — dentists still use eugenol today to calm a throbbing tooth.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of eugenol
The word eugenol was coined from Eugenia, the genus name of the clove tree, combined with the chemical suffix -ol denoting a substance related to oils. The genus Eugenia was itself named after Prince Eugene of Savoy, whose library and botanical interests were honored by Linnaeus. The term arose during nineteenth-century developments in organic chemistry as chemists isolated and named constituents of plant-derived essential oils.
How eugenol is actually used
Primarily encountered in technical contexts: chemistry, pharmacology, perfumery, and dentistry. Not part of everyday vocabulary.
Easily confused with eugenol
Eugenics is the controversial practice of improving human heredity through selective breeding, whereas eugenol is an aromatic chemical compound derived from clove oil.