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CHEMICAL
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I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Material produced by or used in a reaction involving changes in atoms or molecules
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Hypernyms ("chemical" is a kind of...):
material; stuff (the tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "chemical"):
softener (a substance added to another to make it less hard)
stabilizer (a chemical that is added to a solution or mixture or suspension to maintain it in a stable or unchanging state)
restrainer (a chemical that is added to a photographic developer in order to retard development and reduce the amount of fog on a film)
product (a chemical substance formed as a result of a chemical reaction)
phytochemical (a chemical substance obtained from plants that is biologically active but not nutritive)
pesticide (a chemical used to kill pests (as rodents or insects))
larvicide (a chemical used to kill larval pests)
fraction (a component of a mixture that has been separated by a fractional process)
intermediate (a substance formed during a chemical process before the desired product is obtained)
herbicide; weed killer; weedkiller (a chemical agent that destroys plants or inhibits their growth)
fumigant (a chemical substance used in fumigation)
flux (a substance added to molten metals to bond with impurities that can then be readily removed)
fertiliser; fertilizer; plant food (any substance such as manure or a mixture of nitrates used to make soil more fertile)
soil conditioner (a chemical substance used to improve the structure of the soil and increase its porosity)
chemical compound; compound ((chemistry) a substance formed by chemical union of two or more elements or ingredients in definite proportion by weight)
congener (a minor chemical constituent that gives a wine or liquor its distinctive character)
carbon tetrahalide (compounds composed of 1 carbon and 4 halogen molecules)
bacteriacide; bactericide (any chemical agent that destroys bacteria)
carrier (an inactive substance that is a vehicle for a radioactive tracer of the same substance and that assists in its recovery after some chemical reaction)
Alar; daminozide (a chemical sprayed on fruit trees to regulate their growth so the entire crop can be harvested at one time)
reactant (a chemical substance that is present at the start of a chemical reaction)
explosive (a chemical substance that undergoes a rapid chemical change (with the production of gas) on being heated or struck)
Derivation:
chemical (of or made from or using substances produced by or used in reactions involving atomic or molecular changes)
II. (adjective)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Relating to or used in chemistry
Example:
chemical balance
Synonyms:
chemic; chemical
Classified under:
Relational adjectives (pertainyms)
Pertainym:
chemistry (the science of matter; the branch of the natural sciences dealing with the composition of substances and their properties and reactions)
Derivation:
chemistry (the science of matter; the branch of the natural sciences dealing with the composition of substances and their properties and reactions)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Of or made from or using substances produced by or used in reactions involving atomic or molecular changes
Example:
chemical fertilizer
Classified under:
Relational adjectives (pertainyms)
Pertainym:
chemical (material produced by or used in a reaction involving changes in atoms or molecules)
Derivation:
chemical (material produced by or used in a reaction involving changes in atoms or molecules)
chemistry (the science of matter; the branch of the natural sciences dealing with the composition of substances and their properties and reactions)
Context examples:
An acid is a chemical that gives off hydrogen ions in water and forms salts by combining with certain metals.
(Acidity, NCI Dictionary)
A chemical that gives off hydrogen ions in water and forms salts by combining with certain metals.
(Acid, NCI Dictionary)
A chemical made by some types of nerve cells.
(Acetylcholine, NCI Dictionary)
A chemical substance found naturally in small amounts in plants, trees, volcanoes, and forest fires.
(Acetone, NCI Dictionary)
It might aid the activity of your body's pain-killing chemicals.
(Acupuncture, NIH: National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine)
Car emissions, chemicals from factories, dust, pollen and mold spores may be suspended as particles.
(Air Pollution, Environmental Protection Agency)
The strength of noncovalent chemical binding between two substances as measured by the dissociation constant of the complex.
(Affinity, NCI Thesaurus)
In chemistry and biology, the strength of the attaction between two substances, such as two chemicals, or an antigen and an antibody.
(Affinity, NCI Dictionary)
A chemical compound that is used to make one of the building blocks of DNA and RNA.
(Adenine, NCI Dictionary)
A substance made or used when the body breaks down food, drugs or chemicals, or its own tissue (for example, fat or muscle tissue).
(Metabolite, NCI Dictionary)
