adipocere

[ ad-uh-poh-seer ]

/ ˈæd ə poʊˌsɪər /

noun

a waxy substance produced by the decomposition of dead animal bodies in moist burial places or under water.

Nearby words

adipate, adipic acid, adipo-, adipocele, adipocellular, adipocere, adipocerite, adipocyte, adipogenesis, adipoid, adipokinetic

Origin of adipocere

1795–1805; < French adipocire, equivalent to adipo- adipo- + cire wax < Latin cēra; English e by association with cēra; cf. cere²

Related formsad·i·poc·er·ous

[ad-uh-pos-er-uh s] /ˌæd əˈpɒs ər əs/, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for adipocere

There was not a trace of adipocere—the peculiar waxy soap that forms in bodies that decay in water or in a damp situation.
The Vanishing Man|R. Austin Freeman
The brain was considerable in quantity, but changed to a state of adipocere resembling ointment of a dark brown hue.
Norfolk Annals|Charles Mackie
The autopsy on the exhumed body of Perrotte Mace was inconclusive, owing to the condition of adipocere.
She Stands Accused|Victor MacClure
He is the first to observe and describe that curious product of the decomposition of flesh known to modern chemists as adipocere.
Library Of The World's Best Literature, Ancient And Modern, Vol 6|Various

"Then you'll be buried in Kensal Green and turn into adipocere with the others," said Torpenhow.
The Works of Rudyard Kipling: One Volume Edition|Rudyard Kipling

British Dictionary definitions for adipocere

adipocere

/ (ˌædɪpəʊˈsɪə, ˈædɪpəʊˌsɪə) /

noun

a waxlike fatty substance formed during the decomposition of corpsesNontechnical name: grave-wax

Derived Formsadipocerous (ˌædɪˈpɒsərəs), adjective

Word Origin for adipocere

C19: via French from New Latin adiposus fat (see adipose) + French cire wax

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medicine definitions for adipocere

adipocere

[ ăd′ə-pō-sîr′ ]

n.

A brown, fatty, waxlike substance that forms on dead animal tissue in response to moisture.lipocere

Related formsad′i•po•cer′a•tous (-sĕr′ə-təs) adj.