sodium hydroxide: Meaning and Definition of

so'dium hydrox'ide

Pronunciation: [key]
— Chem. Chem.
  1. a white, deliquescent, water-soluble solid, NaOH, usually in the form of lumps, sticks, chips, or pellets, that upon solution in water generates heat: used chiefly in the manufacture of other chemicals, rayon, film, soap, as a laboratory reagent, and in medicine as a caustic. Also called
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.