EDTA (??d?-t?-??)n. A crystalline acid, C10H16N2O8, that acts as a strong chelating agent. The sodium salt of EDTA is used as an antidote for metal poisoning, an anticoagulant, and an ingredient in a variety of industrial reagents.[e(thylene)d(iamine)t(etraacetic) a(cid).]American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.EDTA n (Elements & Compounds) ethylenediaminetetra-acetic acid; a colourless crystalline slightly soluble organic compound used in inorganic chemistry and biochemistry. It is a powerful chelating agent used to stabilize bleach in detergents. Formula: [(HOOCCH2)2NCH2]2 Collins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014EDTA ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid: a colorless compound, C10H16N2O8, capable of chelating a variety of divalent metal cations: used in food preservation, as an anticoagulant, and in the treatment of heavy-metal poisonings. Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.