citral: Meaning and Definition of

cit•ral

Pronunciation: (si'trul), [key]
— n. Chem.
  1. a pale yellow, water-insoluble, liquid aldehyde, CHO, having a strong lemonlike odor, consisting in natural form of two isomersusually obtained from the oils of lemon and orange or synthetically: used chiefly in perfumery, flavoring, and the synthesis of vitamin A.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.