What does resorcin mean?
Resorcin is an organic compound best known for its former use as an antiseptic and treatment for acne and other skin complaints. It is also encountered in chemical testing because it produces distinctive colour reactions under suitable conditions. Although the substance remains relevant in laboratory and pharmaceutical contexts, modern writers usually use the name resorcinol rather than the shorter, older term resorcin. The compound's unusual name has a straightforward historical explanation: it was called resorcin because of its resemblance to orcin, a related substance whose name also survives in chemistry. Resorcin is therefore chiefly a technical or historical term today, but it connects the history of antiseptic medicine with the terminology of modern organic chemistry. For most readers, encountering it in an old prescription or scientific text is more likely than hearing it in everyday speech.
nounResorcin is a white crystalline organic compound formerly used as an antiseptic, especially in preparations for acne and other skin conditions. In modern chemical usage, the name resorcinol is more common.
- A benzene derivative used in medicine and chemical testing.
- A formerly common antiseptic and acne treatment.
"The pharmacist recommended a resorcin preparation for the persistent acne."
"The compound can be identified by a resorcin test that produces a characteristic colour."
"Resorcin baths were once prescribed for certain chronic skin conditions."
Rarely pluralized; the name normally denotes the chemical compound as a substance.
"The researchers studied the structures of several resorcins."
An unusual name with an ordinary explanation: resorcin was named because it resembled a substance called orcin.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does resorcin come from?
The name resorcin was introduced in the nineteenth century because the newly isolated substance resembled orcin, from which it took its name. It is now conventionally called resorcinol, following the usual chemical practice of adding the suffix -ol to the stem of a compound's name. The related names orcin and orcinol preserve the earlier chemical terminology from which resorcin derived.
Related word forms
How resorcin is actually used
The term is chiefly technical or historical. In contemporary pharmaceutical and chemical writing, resorcinol is the preferred name; use related topical preparations according to current medical and regulatory guidance.
Easily confused with resorcin
Resorcin is an older shortened name for resorcinol; both refer to the same benzene derivative.