A mixture of phenols (chiefly methyl guaiacol, guaiacol, and creosol) obtained during the distillation of wood-tar, preferably that derived from beechwood; used as a disinfectant and wood preservative. [G. kreas, flesh, + soter, preserver]
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cre·o·sote 'krē-ə-.sōt n
1) a clear or yellowish flammable oily liquid mixture of phenolic compounds obtained by the distillation of wood tar esp. from beech wood and used esp. as a disinfectant and as an expectorant in chronic bronchitis
2) a brownish oily liquid consisting chiefly of aromatic hydrocarbons obtained by distillation of coal tar and used esp. as a wood preservative
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cre·o·sote (kreґo-sōt) an oily liquid obtained by distillation from coal tar, wood tar, or the resin from the creosote bush.Medical dictionary. 2011.