-ol

The suffix –ol is used in organic chemistry principally to form names of organic compounds containing the hydroxyl (–OH) group, mainly alcohols (also phenol). The suffix was extracted from the word alcohol.

The suffix also appears in some trivial names with reference to oils (from Latin oleum, oil). Examples of this sense of the suffix include benzol, eugenol, urushiol, xylol, and menthol.

References

• International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, Commission on Nomenclature of Organic Chemistry (1993). Panico R; Powell WH; Richer JC, eds. A guide to IUPAC nomenclature of organic compounds: recommendations 1993. Oxford: Blackwell Scientific Publications. ISBN 0-632-03702-4.