| a colorless, waxlike, sparingly water-soluble, odorless solid, C1 8H3 6O2, the most common fatty acid, occurring as the glyceride in tallow and other animal fats and in some animal oils: used chiefly in the manufacture of soaps, stearates, candles, cosmetics, and in medicine in suppositories and pill coatings. |
| stearic acid n. A colorless, odorless, waxlike fatty acid, CH3(CH2)16COOH, occurring in natural animal and vegetable fats and used in making soaps, candles, lubricants, and other products. |
stearic acid ste·ar·ic acid (stē-ār'ĭk, stēr'ĭk)
n.
A colorless, odorless, waxlike fatty acid occurring naturally in animal and vegetable fats and used in pharmaceutical preparations, ointments, soaps, and suppositories.
stearic acid  (stē-ār'ĭk, stîr'ĭk) Pronunciation Key
A colorless, odorless, waxlike fatty acid occurring in animal and vegetable fats and used in making soaps, candles, lubricants, and other products. Chemical formula: C18H36O2. |
stearic acid
one of the most common long-chain fatty acids, found in combined form in natural animal and vegetable fats. Commercial "stearic acid" is a mixture of approximately equal amounts of stearic and palmitic acids and small amounts of oleic acid. It is employed in the manufacture of candles, cosmetics, shaving soaps, lubricants, and pharmaceuticals.
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