birch-tar oil

noun

: a brown toxic phenolic oil obtained by destructive distillation of the bark and wood of the European white birch and used in finishing Russia leather to which it gives the characteristic odor and sometimes in ointments for skin diseases (such as eczema)

called also birch oil

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Cite this Entry

“Birch-tar oil.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/birch-tar%20oil. Accessed 26 Dec. 2024.

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