fatty acid

American  

noun

Biochemistry.

1. any of a class of aliphatic acids, especially palmitic, stearic, or oleic acid, consisting of a long hydrocarbon chain ending in a carboxyl group that bonds to glycerol to form a fat.

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fatty acid British  

noun

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

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fatty acid Scientific  

/ făt′ē /

1. 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.

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Etymology

Origin of fatty acid

First recorded in 1860–65

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fatty acid

All the same, the fatty acid profile of tallow does overlap with some lipids found in human skin and sebum, including palmitic, stearic and oleic acids.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026

He told me that because animals like cows and bison share a similar fatty acid profile with humans, tallow-based creams are uniquely compatible with our skin.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026

One of the study's most unexpected findings involved oleic acid, the primary fatty acid found in olive oil.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 2, 2026

In the liver, fat accumulation increased, along with the activity of genes linked to fatty acid production and lipid transport.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 14, 2026

Omega-6 is another fatty acid essential to humans.

From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan