benzalkonium chloride: Meaning and Definition of

ben•zal•ko'ni•um chlo'ride

1. a white or yellowish-white, water-soluble mixture of ammonium chloride derivatives having the structure CHNRCl, where R is a mixture of radicals ranging from CH– to CH–, that occurs as an amorphous powder or in gelatinous lumps: used chiefly as an antiseptic and a disinfectant.