Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary · 1913

paraformaldehyde

paraformaldehyde , noun

[Prefix para- + formaldehyde.]

(Chemistry) A polymer of formaldehyde obtained as a white crystalline substance by concentration of a formaldehyde solution. Formula (CH20)n. It dissolves in hot water with the release of formaldehyde, and is used as a disinfectant.