fusel oil

noun

fu·​sel oil ˈfyü-zəl- 

: an acrid oily liquid occurring in insufficiently distilled alcoholic liquors, consisting chiefly of amyl alcohol, and used especially as a source of alcohols and as a solvent

Word History

Etymology

partial translation of German Fuselöl, from Fusel "distilled spirits of poor quality," probably originally in Low German dialects, of obscure origin

First Known Use

1850, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

fusel oil

noun

fu·​sel oil ˈfyü-zəl- 

: an acrid oily liquid occurring in insufficiently distilled alcoholic liquors, consisting chiefly of amyl alcohol, and used especially as a source of alcohols and as a solvent