lipid

[ lip-id, lahy-pid ]

nounBiochemistry.

any of a group of organic compounds that are greasy to the touch, insoluble in water, and soluble in alcohol and ether: lipids comprise the fats and other esters with analogous properties and constitute, with proteins and carbohydrates, the chief structural components of living cells.

Origin of lipid

First recorded in 1920–25; lip- + -id³

Also lip·ide [lip-ahyd, -id, lahy-pahyd, -pid]. /ˈlɪp aɪd, -ɪd, ˈlaɪ paɪd, -pɪd/.

Words Nearby lipid

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use lipid in a sentence

He found that the cell nucleus contained a substance that differed dramatically from the proteins and lipids in the rest of the cell.
Top 10 science anniversaries to celebrate in 2021 | Tom Siegfried | February 3, 2021 | Science News
The other ingredients—salts, sugars, and the lipid nanoparticles—would not have to be changed.
Moderna believes it could update its coronavirus vaccine without a big new trial | Antonio Regalado | January 14, 2021 | MIT Technology Review
The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines do so by encapsulating the mRNA in tiny oily capsules, known as lipid nanoparticles.
mRNA Technology Gave Us the First COVID-19 Vaccines. It Could Also Upend the Drug Industry | Walter Isaacson | January 11, 2021 | Time
They are now testing it to see if they can detect other components, like oligosaccharides and lipids.
Startups are racing to reproduce breast milk in the lab | Katie McLean | December 18, 2020 | MIT Technology Review
Pfizer makes a point of saying its mixture of lipid nanoparticles and mRNA is “preservative-free.”
What are the ingredients of Pfizer’s covid-19 vaccine? | Konstantin Kakaes | December 9, 2020 | MIT Technology Review

British Dictionary definitions for lipid

lipid

lipide

/ (ˈlaɪpɪd, ˈlɪpɪd) /

noun

biochem any of a large group of organic compounds that are esters of fatty acids (simple lipids, such as fats and waxes) or closely related substances (compound lipids, such as phospholipids): usually insoluble in water but soluble in alcohol and other organic solvents. They are important structural materials in living organisms: Former name: lipoid

Origin of lipid

C20: from French lipide, from Greek lipos fat

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

Scientific definitions for lipid

lipid

[ lĭp′ĭd ]

Any of a large group of organic compounds that are oily to the touch and insoluble in water. Lipids include fatty acids, oils, waxes, sterols, and triglycerides. They are a source of stored energy and are a component of cell membranes.

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