adipocere

American  

[ad-uh-poh-seer] / ˈæd ə poʊˌsɪər /

noun

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

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adipocere British  

/ ˌædɪˈpɒsərəs, ˌædɪpəʊˈsɪə, ˈædɪpəʊˌsɪə /

noun

1. Nontechnical name: grave-wax.  a waxlike fatty substance formed during the decomposition of corpses

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Other Word Forms

• adipocerous adjective

Etymology

Origin of adipocere

1795–1805; < French adipocire, equivalent to adipo- adipo- + cire wax < Latin cēra; English e by association with cēra; cere ²

Example Sentences

The fat had reacted with moisture to create a waxy substance called adipocere, which can protect a body from decay.

From Scientific American • Oct. 28, 2022

Geochemical analysis then revealed the rotting balls were made of tilapia adipocere, a hard, waxy substance that feels slippery, like soap, Simpson said.

From Scientific American • Oct. 30, 2013

In the Salton Sea, tilapia adipocere is tinted orange to brown.

From Scientific American • Oct. 30, 2013

Other postmortem changes, such as adipocere, the decomposition of fat, can preserve the appearance of a body’s soft tissues for years but interfere with an autopsy because it makes the tissue crumbly and chalky.

From Slate • Nov. 5, 2012

The Prairie exists to yield the greatest possible quantity of adipocere.

From The Correspondence of Thomas Carlyle and Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1834-1872, Vol II. by Carlyle, Thomas