| fatty acid | |
| —n | |
| 1. | any of a class of aliphatic carboxylic acids, such as palmitic acid, stearic acid, and oleic acid, that form part of a lipid molecule |
| 2. | another name for carboxylic acid, used esp of a naturally occurring one |
| a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal. |
| an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance. |
fatty acid n.
Any of a large group of long-chain monobasic organic acids hydrolytically derived from fats.
| fatty acid (fāt'ē) Pronunciation Key
Any of a large group of organic acids, especially those found in animal and vegetable fats and oils. Fatty acids are mainly composed of long chains of hydrocarbons ending in a carboxyl group. A fatty acid is saturated when the bonds between carbon atoms are all single bonds. It is unsaturated when any of these bonds is a double bond. |