pyroligneous acid

noun

py·​ro·​lig·​ne·​ous acid ˌpī-rō-ˈlig-nē-əs- 

: an acid reddish-brown aqueous liquid containing chiefly acetic acid, methanol, wood oils, and tars that is obtained by destructive distillation of wood

Word History

Etymology

French pyroligneux, from pyr- + ligneux woody, from Latin lignosus, from lignum wood — more at ligneous

First Known Use

1788, in the meaning defined above