Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary · 1913

Chloroform

Chloroform , noun

[Chlorine + formyl, it having been regarded as a trichloride of this radical: compare French chloroforme, German chloroform.]

(Chemistry) A colorless volatile liquid, CHCl3, having an ethereal odor and a sweetish taste, formed by treating alcohol with chlorine and an alkali. It is a powerful solvent of wax, resin, etc., and is extensively used to produce anasthesia in surgical operations; also externally, to alleviate pain.

Chloroform , transitive verb

To treat with chloroform, or to place under its influence.