What is "polyethylene glycol"

n. (context chemistry English) Any of a series of water-soluble polymers, of general formula [CH₂-CH₂-O]_n, used in detergents and as emulsifiers and plasticizers.

Polyethylene glycol (PEG) is a polyether compound with many applications from industrial manufacturing to medicine. PEG is also known as polyethylene oxide (PEO) or polyoxyethylene (POE), depending on its molecular weight. The structure of PEG is commonly expressed as H−(O−CH−CH)−OH.