HCl

Abbreviation with 4 meanings

HCl
Stands for	Hydrochloric acid
Meanings	4
Categories	Science & Engineering, Organizations & Companies, Medical, Technology & Computing
Also written	HCL

HCl has four meanings. The most common are Hydrochloric acid (chemistry) and Hindustan Computers Limited (company and brand); it can also stand for Hydrochloride and HashiCorp Configuration Language.

Meanings of HCl at a glance

#	HCl stands for	Context
1	Hydrochloric acid	Science & Engineering › Chemistry
2	Hindustan Computers Limited	Organizations & Companies › Company and Brand
3	Hydrochloride	Medical › Drug
4	HashiCorp Configuration Language	Technology & Computing › Cloud Computing

1. Hydrochloric acid

Science & Engineering · Chemistry Abbreviations

Strong acid formed by dissolving hydrogen chloride gas in water. Concentrated grades, about 31-37%, pickle steel, regenerate ion-exchange resins and lower swimming-pool pH, where the product is sold as muriatic acid; the stomach secretes dilute HCl to digest food.

Example: Lower the pool's pH by adding one cup of 31.45% HCl to the deep end with the pump running.

Strictly, HCl is the formula of hydrogen chloride gas, and the solution is HCl(aq), but HCl is used for both. The old name muriatic acid comes from Latin muria (brine). The fumes corrode lungs and metal tools, so it should be stored apart from other chemicals, and acid is always added to water, never the reverse.

2. Hindustan Computers Limited (HCL)

Organizations & Companies · Company and Brand Abbreviations

Indian IT services and technology company, known today as HCLTech, providing software, consulting and engineering services worldwide. Headquartered in Noida, near Delhi.

Example: HCLTech signed a multiyear IT services deal with a European bank.

Founded in 1976 by Shiv Nadar and colleagues to make computers for the Indian market. The services company rebranded as HCLTech in 2022. HCL's founder became one of India's best-known philanthropists through the Shiv Nadar Foundation.

3. Hydrochloride

Medical · Drug Abbreviations

Salt form in which many drugs are made, noted at the end of the generic name, such as diphenhydramine HCl, sertraline HCl or metformin HCl. The salt improves a drug's stability or solubility but does not change its basic action.

Example: Label: ondansetron HCl 4 mg tablets; dose expressed as the base.

Earlier editions of ISMP's error-prone list included HCl because the "H" has been misread as a "K", turning a salt name into potassium chloride (KCl). Safety experts advise omitting the salt in orders unless it matters clinically. Chemically HCl is hydrochloric acid, the acid in stomach juice.

4. HashiCorp Configuration Language (HCL)

Technology & Computing · Cloud Computing Abbreviations

A configuration language from HashiCorp used for Terraform, Packer, Nomad and Vault, with blocks, arguments and expressions designed to be readable by people and convertible to JSON.

Example: Define the bucket in HCL, then run terraform plan to preview the change.

Introduced in 2014, with Terraform files typically ending in .tf. It supports variables, for_each loops and reusable modules. HCLTech, an Indian IT services company, shares the letters but is unrelated.

More chemistry abbreviations

H2O – Water
H2O2 – Hydrogen peroxide
H2SO4 – Sulfuric acid
HCFC – Hydrochlorofluorocarbon
HDPE – High-density polyethylene
HFC – Hydrofluorocarbon
HOMO – Highest occupied molecular orbital
HPLC – High-performance liquid chromatography

See all 106 chemistry abbreviations →

More company and brand abbreviations

GNC – General Nutrition Centers
GSK – GlaxoSmithKline
H&M – Hennes & Mauritz
H-E-B – Howard E. Butt
HP – Hewlett-Packard
HPE – Hewlett Packard Enterprise
HSBC – Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation
HSN – Home Shopping Network

See all 116 company and brand abbreviations →

Edited by the AbbreviationList.com team. Spotted an error or a missing meaning? Contact us.

This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.

HCl