methyl alcohol: Meaning and Definition of

meth'yl al'cohol

Pronunciation: [key]
  1. a colorless, volatile, water-soluble, poisonous liquid, CHO, obtained by the destructive distillation of wood or the incomplete oxidation of natural gas, or produced synthetically from carbon monoxide and hydrogen, used chiefly as a solvent, a fuel, and an automobile antifreeze and in the synthesis of formaldehyde. Also called
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.