Relating to or containing cresol, a chemical compound derived from coal tar used in disinfectants and other products.
From cresol (from cresyl, relating to cresol) plus the suffix -ic meaning 'of or relating to.' Cresol itself comes from creosote and methyl, combining these chemical concepts in the 19th century.
Cresylic acid was one of the first industrial disinfectants, so powerful that it was actually used as an alternative name for Lysol—the product that became synonymous with cleaning for generations.
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