Added 9 October 2026
chloroform
/ˈklɒɹə(ʊ)ˌfɔː(ɹ)m/ noun
noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about chloroform at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
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A volatile liquid haloform (CHCl3); formerly used as an anesthetic.
chloroform was the first inhalation anesthetic
verb
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Anesthetize with chloroform.
Doctors used to put people under by chloroforming them
Origin
Borrowed from French chloroforme, portmanteau of terchloride (tertiary chloride, trichloride) and formyle (CH, an obsolete radical of formic acid) by Jean-Baptiste Dumas, from 1834. By surface analysis, chloro- + -form.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)