CHLORINE

chlorine, Cl, atomic number

(noun) a common nonmetallic element belonging to the halogens; best known as a heavy yellow irritating toxic gas; used to purify water and as a bleaching agent and disinfectant; occurs naturally only as a salt (as in sea water)

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Noun

chlorine (usually uncountable, plural chlorines)

A toxic, green, gaseous chemical element (symbol Cl) with an atomic number of 17.

Synonym: E925 (when used as a food additive)

Hypernym: halogen

(countable) A single atom of this element.

Source: Wiktionary


Chlo"rine, n. Etym: [Gr. Yellow.] (Chem.)

Definition: One of the elementary substances, commonly isolated as a greenish yellow gas, two and one half times as heavy as air, of an intensely disagreeable suffocating odor, and exceedingly poisonous. It is abundant in nature, the most important compound being common salt. It is powerful oxidizing, bleaching, and disinfecting agent. Symbol Cl. Atomic weight, 35.4. Chlorine family, the elements fluorine, chlorine, bromine, and iodine, called the halogens, and classed together from their common peculiariries.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

14 March 2025

PARASITISM

(noun) the relation between two different kinds of organisms in which one receives benefits from the other by causing damage to it (usually not fatal damage)


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Coffee Trivia

The Boston Tea Party helped popularize coffee in America. The hefty tea tax imposed on the colonies in 1773 resulted in America switching from tea to coffee. In the lead up to the Revolutionary War, it became patriotic to sip java instead of tea. The Civil War made the drink more pervasive. Coffee helped energize tired troops, and drinking it became an expression of freedom.

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