mercuric oxide: Meaning and Definition of

mercu'ric ox'ide

Pronunciation: [key]
  1. a slightly crystalline, water-soluble, poisonous compound, HgO, occurring as a coarse, orange-red powderor as a fine, orange-yellow powder: used chiefly as a pigment in paints and as an antiseptic in pharmaceuticals.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.