aryl

adjective

ar·​yl ˈa-rəl 

ˈer-əl

: having or being a monovalent organic radical (such as phenyl) derived from an aromatic hydrocarbon by the removal of one hydrogen atom

—often used in combination

Examples of aryl in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In an email, Choi said lupus patients had too much of a protein called interferon, which helps fight infection, and not enough aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) proteins, which regulate the body’s response to infection. —Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY, 12 July 2024

The study, published in Nature and led by researchers at Northwestern and Harvard, pinpoint the aryl hydrocarbon receptor, or AHR, as a controller of this seesaw. —Elaine Chen Reprints, STAT, 11 July 2024

The major challenge to developing a new treatment, according to Choi, is finding ways to administer it without activating aryl hydrocarbon receptors throughout the whole body, which may result in more side effects. —Aria Bendix, NBC News, 10 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from German Arryl, from aromatisch aromatic entry 1 + -yl -yl

Note: The term was introduced by the German chemist Daniel Vorländer (1867-1941) in "Alkyl, Alphyl und Arryl," Journal für praktische Chemie, Band 167 (Neue Folge Band 59) (1899), pp. 247-48. The motivation for the doubled -r- is unclear, but in any case one r was soon dropped in both German and English.

First Known Use

1899, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

aryl

noun

ar·​yl ˈar-əl 

: a radical (as phenyl) derived from an aromatic hydrocarbon by the removal of one hydrogen atom