What does glycerol mean?
Glycerol is a colourless, odourless, viscous and mildly sweet-tasting alcohol that occurs in the body and can also be produced industrially. Chemically, it is a polyol, meaning a compound with several hydroxyl groups, and it is known scientifically as propane-1,2,3-triol. One of its most familiar roles is as a humectant: it attracts and retains water, making it useful in soaps, lotions, toothpaste and other personal-care products. Glycerol is also used as a solvent in pharmaceutical preparations, as a sweetener and carrier in food, and in injectable medicines to improve comfort and moisture. The alternative names glycerin and glycerine refer to the same compound, while European food labels often identify it as E422. Although glycerol is harmless in ordinary amounts, concentrated solutions can cause gastrointestinal effects if swallowed in quantity. Its chemical structure also allows it to be converted into compounds such as nitroglycerin, linking a common ingredient in consumer products with a well-known explosive.
nounGlycerol is a colourless, odourless, viscous, sweet-tasting liquid alcohol used as a humectant, solvent, sweetener and pharmaceutical excipient. It is also called glycerin or glycerine and is designated E422 as a food additive.
- A colourless, odourless, viscous, sweet-tasting polyalcohol used as a humectant, solvent, sweetener, pharmaceutical excipient and food additive.
"The skincare lotion uses glycerol as a humectant, helping it retain moisture."
"The formulation includes glycerol to help keep the product from drying out."
"The medicine was administered as a sterile glycerol injection."
The plural is uncommon because glycerol is normally treated as an uncountable substance, but it can be used when referring to distinct glycerol compounds or solutions in technical contexts.
"The researchers compared the effects of different glycerols on cell survival."
Glycerol lends its name to nitroglycerin, the powerful explosive made by chemically modifying this otherwise ordinary sweet-tasting liquid.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does glycerol come from?
The name glycerol comes through glycerin, whose elements ultimately relate to Greek glykeros, meaning “sweet”. The suffix -ol is used in chemical nomenclature to indicate an alcohol, while -in belongs to the older name glycerin. Its chemical relatives include glyceric acid, glycerides, glyceraldehyde and compounds prefixed glyceryl, all of which reflect the same glycerol root.
Related word forms
How glycerol is actually used
Glycerol is normally treated as an uncountable mass noun, especially in general and pharmaceutical contexts. Glycerin and glycerine are alternative names for the same substance; in food labelling, the additive is commonly listed as E422.
Easily confused with glycerol
Glycerol is a small polyalcohol used in medicines, cosmetics and food, whereas glycogen is a large polysaccharide stored in the liver and muscles as an energy reserve.