formic acid

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

for′mic ac′id, [Chem., Pharm.]

1. Chemistry, Drugs a colorless, irritating, fuming, water-soluble liquid, CH₂O₂, originally obtained from ants and now manufactured synthetically, used in dyeing and tanning and in medicine chiefly as a counterirritant and astringent.

• 1785–95

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

formic acid noun

1. a colourless corrosive liquid carboxylic acid found in some insects, esp ants, and many plants: used in dyeing textiles and the manufacture of insecticides and refrigerants. Formula: HCOOH
   Systematic name: methanoic acid