ACID

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does acid mean? 

• ACID (noun)
  The noun ACID has 2 senses:

1. any of various water-soluble compounds having a sour taste and capable of turning litmus red and reacting with a base to form a salt

2. street name for lysergic acid diethylamide

  Familiarity information: ACID used as a noun is rare.

• ACID (adjective)
  The adjective ACID has 3 senses:

1. harsh or corrosive in tone

2. being sour to the taste

3. having the characteristics of an acid

  Familiarity information: ACID used as an adjective is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• ACID (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Any of various water-soluble compounds having a sour taste and capable of turning litmus red and reacting with a base to form a salt

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Hypernyms ("acid" is a kind of...):

chemical compound; compound ((chemistry) a substance formed by chemical union of two or more elements or ingredients in definite proportion by weight)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "acid"):

hydrobromic acid (an aqueous solution of hydrogen bromide that is a strong liquid acid)

maleic acid (a colorless crystalline compound found in unripe fruit (such as apples or tomatoes or cherries) and used mainly to make polyester resins)

itaconic acid (a crystalline carboxylic acid; occurs in some fermentations of sugars)

isocyanic acid (an acid known only in the form of its esters)

iodic acid (a soluble crystalline acid; used as a reagent and disinfectant)

hypochlorous acid (a weak unstable acid known only in solution and in its salts; used as a bleaching agent and as an oxidizing agent)

hydroiodic acid (an acid formed by aqueous solution of hydrogen iodide)

hydrofluoric acid (a weak poisonous liquid acid; formed by solution of hydrogen fluoride in water)

hydrogen chloride (a colorless corrosive gas (HCl))

chlorohydric acid; hydrochloric acid (an aqueous solution of hydrogen chloride; a strongly corrosive acid)

oxalacetic acid; oxaloacetic acid (an acid formed by oxidation of maleic acid (as in metabolism of fats and carbohydrates))

glycolic acid; glycollic acid; hydroxyacetic acid (a translucent crystalline compound found in sugar cane and sugar beets and unripe grapes)

glyceric acid (a syrupy acid obtained by oxidation of glycerol or glyceraldehyde)

gallic acid (a colorless crystalline acid obtained from tannin)

fumaric acid (a colorless crystalline acid with a fruity taste; used in making polyester resins)

formic acid (a colorless pungent fuming vesicatory liquid acid HCOOH found naturally in ants and many plants or made catalytically from carbon monoxide and steam; used in finishing textiles and paper and in the manufacture of insecticides and fumigants)

fluosilicic acid; hydrofluosilicic acid (an unstable poisonous corrosive acid known primarily in the form of its salts)

fluoroboric acid (an acid of fluorine and boron)

ferrocyanic acid (a white unstable acid formed from ferrocyanide salts)

ferricyanic acid (a brown unstable acid formed from ferricyanide)

dichromic acid (the hypothetical acid (H2Cr2O7) from which dichromates are derived; known only in solution and in the form of dichromate salts)

xanthic acid (any of a class of unstable organic acids containing sulphur)

oil of vitriol; sulfuric acid; sulphuric acid; vitriol ((H2SO4) a highly corrosive acid made from sulfur dioxide; widely used in the chemical industry)

uric acid (a white tasteless odorless crystalline product of protein metabolism; found in the blood and urine)

undecylenic acid (an acid that is a component of perspiration)

triphosphoric acid (an acid that is a partial anhydride of three molecules of phosphoric acid; known chiefly in the form of its salts and esters)

toluic acid (an isomeric acid derived from toluene)

thiocyanic acid (an unstable acid that can be obtained by distilling a thiocyanate salt)

sulfanilic acid; sulphanilic acid (a crystalline acid made from aniline and used as a dye)

silicic acid (a jellylike substance (hydrated silica))

cyanuric acid (a trimer of cyanic acid)

pyruvic acid (a colorless acid formed as an important intermediate in metabolism or fermentation)

picric acid (a yellow toxic highly explosive strong acid; used in high explosives and as a dye and in chemical reactions)

phthalic acid (a colorless acid used to make dyes and perfumes)

permanganic acid (an unstable purple acid (HMnO4) known only in solution or of permanganate salts)

pectic acid (a complex acid that occurs in ripe fruit and some vegetables)

PABA; para aminobenzoic acid (a metabolic acid found in yeast and liver cells; used to make dyes and drugs and sun blockers)

pantothen; pantothenic acid (a vitamin of the vitamin B complex that performs an important role in the oxidation of fats and carbohydrates and certain amino acids; occurs in many foods)

oxyacid; oxygen acid (any acid that contains oxygen)

ethanedioic acid; oxalic acid (a toxic colorless crystalline organic acid found in oxalis and other plants; used as a bleach and rust remover and in chemical analysis)

gamma acid (a crystalline acid used to make azo dyes)

sulfonic acid; sulphonic acid (an acid derived from sulphuric acid)

selenic acid (a strong acid (H2SeO4) analogous to sulfuric acid)

2-methylpropenoic acid; methacrylic acid (an unsaturated acid (C4H6O2) used to make resins and plastics)

manganic acid (a dibasic acid (H2MnO4) found only in solution and in manganate salts)

lysergic acid (a crystalline acid often used in medical research; obtained from ergotic alkaloids)

hyponitrous acid (an explosive white crystalline weak acid (H2N2O2))

hydroxy acid (any acid that has hydroxyl groups in addition to the hydroxyl group in the acid itself)

hydrocyanic acid; prussic acid (a solution of hydrogen cyanide in water; weak solutions are used in fumigating and in the synthesis of organic compounds)

hydriodic acid ((HI) a colorless or yellow aqueous solution of hydrogen iodide)

titanic acid (a white weak acid that is a hydrated form of titanium dioxide)

fulminic acid ((CNOH) an unstable acid occurring mainly in the form of explosive salts and esters that is isomeric with cyanic acid)

tetrabasic acid (an acid containing four replaceable hydrogen atoms per molecule)

tribasic acid (an acid containing three replaceable hydrogen atoms per molecule)

dibasic acid (an acid containing two replaceable hydrogen atoms per molecule)

monobasic acid (an acid containing only one replaceable hydrogen atom per molecule)

chlorous acid ((HClO2) a strongly oxidizing acid; known only in solution)

chloric acid ((HClO3) a strong unstable acid with an acrid odor found in chlorate salts)

cerotic acid; hexacosanoic acid (a white solid fatty acid found in waxes (such as beeswax))

arsenic acid (an acid formed from arsenic pentoxide)

boracic acid; boric acid (any of various acids containing boron and oxygen)

cyanic acid (a colorless poisonous volatile liquid acid that hydrolyzes readily to ammonia and carbon dioxide)

cyanamid; cyanamide (a weak soluble dibasic acid (the parent acid of cyanamide salts))

citric acid (a weak water-soluble acid found in many fruits (especially citrus fruits); used as a flavoring agent)

chromic acid (an unstable acid known only in solution and as chromate salts)

carbonic acid (a weak acid known only in solution; formed when carbon dioxide combines with water)

carbolic acid; hydroxybenzene; oxybenzene; phenol; phenylic acid (a toxic white soluble crystalline acidic derivative of benzene; used in manufacturing and as a disinfectant and antiseptic; poisonous if taken internally)

carbamic acid (an acid that is known only by virtue of its salts (as ammonium carbamate) or its esters (as urethane))

bromic acid (an unstable acid used as an oxidizing agent)

boric acid; orthoboric acid (a white or colorless slightly acid solid that is soluble in water and ethanol; used in the manufacture of glass and paper and adhesives and in detergents and as a flux in welding; also used as an antiseptic and food preservative)

alcapton; alkapton; homogentisic acid (an acid formed as an intermediate product of the metabolism of tyrosine and phenylalanine)

lansoprazole; Prevacid (antacid (trade name Prevacid) that suppresses acid secretion in the stomach)

barbituric acid; malonylurea (a white crystalline acid derived from pyrimidine; used in preparing barbiturate drugs)

aqua regia; nitrohydrochloric acid (a yellow fuming corrosive mixture of nitric and hydrochloric acid that dissolves metals (including gold))

nitrous acid (an unstable inorganic acid known only in solution and as nitrite salts)

aqua fortis; nitric acid (acid used especially in the production of fertilizers and explosives and rocket fuels)

aminobenzoic acid (a derivative of benzoic acid)

carboxylic acid (an organic acid characterized by one or more carboxyl groups)

perchloric acid (a powerful oxidizing agent; forms perchlorates)

Derivation:

acid (having the characteristics of an acid)

acidify (turn acidic)

acidify; acidulate (make sour or more sour)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Street name for lysergic acid diethylamide

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

acid; back breaker; battery-acid; dose; dot; Elvis; loony toons; Lucy in the sky with diamonds; pane; superman; window pane; Zen

Hypernyms ("acid" is a kind of...):

LSD; lysergic acid diethylamide (a powerful hallucinogenic drug manufactured from lysergic acid)

• ACID (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Harsh or corrosive in tone

Synonyms:

acerb; acerbic; acid; acrid; bitter; blistering; caustic; sulfurous; sulphurous; virulent; vitriolic

Context example:

a vitriolic critique

Similar:

unpleasant (offensive or disagreeable; causing discomfort or unhappiness)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Being sour to the taste

Synonyms:

acid; acidic; acidulent; acidulous

Similar:

sour (having a sharp biting taste)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Having the characteristics of an acid

Context example:

an acid reaction

Similar:

acidic (being or containing an acid; of a solution having an excess of hydrogen atoms (having a pH of less than 7))

Domain category:

chemical science; chemistry (the science of matter; the branch of the natural sciences dealing with the composition of substances and their properties and reactions)

Derivation:

acid (any of various water-soluble compounds having a sour taste and capable of turning litmus red and reacting with a base to form a salt)

acidity (the property of being acidic)

 Context examples 

Acetate is the most common building block for biosynthesis, such as fatty acids.

(Acetate, NCI Thesaurus)

A form of acetic acid (an acid found in vinegar).

(Acetate, NCI Dictionary)

A novel Cox enzyme isoform encoded by the Cox-1 gene, Cox-3, contains an additional 30-34 amino acids and is expressed selectively in the brain.

(Acetaminophen Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)

This enzyme hydrolyzes triglycerides in plasma, releasing free fatty acids into tissues, where they can be reassembled into triglycerides.

(Metabolic Syndrome Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)

Acetic acid is also used to dissolve substances needed to make some medicines and other products, such as plastics.

(Acetic acid, NCI Dictionary)

Acetyl-CoA is produced in mitochondria through the metabolism of fatty acids and the oxidation of pyruvate to acetyl-CoA.

(Acetyl Group Shuttle Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)

Although its mechanism of action is not fully known, undissociated acetic acid may enhance lipid solubility allowing increased fatty acid accumulation on the cell membrane or in other cell wall structures.

(Acetic acid, NCI Thesaurus)

Mr. Waldron was a strict disciplinarian with a gift of acid humor, as exemplified upon the gentleman with the red tie, which made it perilous to interrupt him.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Besides high amounts of vitamins, minerals and fatty acids, acai berry is rich in phytonutrients such as anthocyanins and flavones which are potent scavengers of reactive oxygen species.

(Acai Berry Juice, NCI Thesaurus)

Increased acidity in the blood secondary to acid base imbalance.

(Metabolic acidosis, NCI Thesaurus)