adipocere

[ ad-uh-poh-seer ]

/ ˈæd ə poʊˌsɪər /

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See synonyms for: adipocerous on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

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Origin of adipocere

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

OTHER WORDS FROM adipocere

ad·i·poc·er·ous

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

Words nearby adipocere

adios, adip-, adipate, adipic acid, adipo-, adipocere, adipocerite, adipocyte, adiponitrile, adipopexia, adipose

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use adipocere in a sentence

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
Hatchettine or rock-fat is sometimes called adipocere; and bog-butter is a substance nearly similar to it.
Cooley's Cyclopdia of Practical Receipts and Collateral Information in the Arts, Manufactures, Professions, and Trades..., Sixth Edition, Volume I|Arnold Cooley
Besides, dead animal matter38 can be worked up more profitably than in making artificial adipocere.
Cooley's Cyclopdia of Practical Receipts and Collateral Information in the Arts, Manufactures, Professions, and Trades..., Sixth Edition, Volume I|Arnold Cooley
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 autopsy on the exhumed body of Perrotte Mace was inconclusive, owing to the condition of adipocere.
She Stands Accused|Victor MacClure

British Dictionary definitions for adipocere

adipocere

/ (ˌædɪpəʊˈsɪə, ˈædɪpəʊˌsɪə) /

noun

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

Derived forms of adipocere

adipocerous (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