boric acid
noun
bo·ric acid ˈbȯr-ik- 
: a white crystalline acid B(OH)3 obtained from its salts and used especially as a weak antiseptic and fire-retardant
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Our experts like that this powder is 99% boric acid, an inexpensive material that is less toxic to mammals than most synthetic insecticides, according to the Rutgers University Cooperative Extension. 
Dan Diclerico, Good Housekeeping, 22 July 2022 Powders often contain boric acid dust which is less toxic to mammals than most synthetic insecticides. Dan Diclerico, Good Housekeeping, 22 July 2022 Note that boric acid, like many pesticides, can be toxic if swallowed; in fact, in 2020, pesticides caused nearly 70,000 poisonings in the U.S., according to the National Poison Control Center. Rebecca Straus, Good Housekeeping, 16 May 2022 Control ants with sticky Tree Tanglefoot Insect Barrier or traps containing boric acid. Deanna Kizis, Sunset Magazine, 31 Mar. 2022 A few years later, her dalliance with a member of the Weather Underground led to an arrest for possession of a suspicious substance that was actually just boric acid, for the removal of a foreign object from her eye. Nick Paumgarten, The New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2022 Mix equal parts boric acid powder and one of the following: flour, cornmeal or sugar. Washington Post, 16 Nov. 2021 Try this dry powder combination: Mix equal parts of boric acid and flour or cornmeal, and some sugar. Washington Post, 21 July 2021 And dietary supplements have been found to contain boric acid, floor wax, and rat poison. Matthew Hongoltz-hetling, The New Republic, 23 June 2021 See More
Dan Diclerico, Good Housekeeping, 22 July 2022 Powders often contain boric acid dust which is less toxic to mammals than most synthetic insecticides. Dan Diclerico, Good Housekeeping, 22 July 2022 Note that boric acid, like many pesticides, can be toxic if swallowed; in fact, in 2020, pesticides caused nearly 70,000 poisonings in the U.S., according to the National Poison Control Center. Rebecca Straus, Good Housekeeping, 16 May 2022 Control ants with sticky Tree Tanglefoot Insect Barrier or traps containing boric acid. Deanna Kizis, Sunset Magazine, 31 Mar. 2022 A few years later, her dalliance with a member of the Weather Underground led to an arrest for possession of a suspicious substance that was actually just boric acid, for the removal of a foreign object from her eye. Nick Paumgarten, The New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2022 Mix equal parts boric acid powder and one of the following: flour, cornmeal or sugar. Washington Post, 16 Nov. 2021 Try this dry powder combination: Mix equal parts of boric acid and flour or cornmeal, and some sugar. Washington Post, 21 July 2021 And dietary supplements have been found to contain boric acid, floor wax, and rat poison. Matthew Hongoltz-hetling, The New Republic, 23 June 2021 See More Word History
Etymology
boron
First Known Use
1825, in the meaning defined above
Kids Definition
boric acid
noun
bo·ric acid
ˈbȯr-ik-
: a weak acid containing boron used to kill germs
Medical Definition
boric acid
noun
: a white crystalline acid H3BO3 obtained from its salts and used especially as a weak antiseptic
called also boracic acid, orthoboric acid