acetic acid: Meaning and Definition of

ace'tic ac'id

1. a colorless, pungent, water-miscible liquid, CHO, the essential constituent of vinegar, produced by oxidation of acetaldehyde, bacterial action on ethyl alcohol, the reaction of methyl alcohol with carbon monoxide, and other processes: used chiefly in the manufacture of acetate fibers and in the production of numerous esters that are solvents and flavoring agents. Cf. glacial acetic acid.