Dictionary
for'mic ac'id
Chem., Pharm.
a colorless, irritating, fuming, water-soluble liquid, CH
2O
2, originally obtained from ants and now manufactured synthetically, used in dyeing and tanning and in medicine chiefly as a counterirritant and astringent.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.