maleic acid

[ muh-lee-ik ]

/ məˈli ɪk /

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noun Chemistry.

a colorless, crystalline, water-soluble solid, C4H4O4, isomeric with fumaric acid, having an astringent, repulsive taste and faint acidulous odor: used in the manufacture of synthetic resins, the dyeing and finishing of textiles, and as a preservative for fats and oils.

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Origin of maleic acid

1870–75; <French maléique, alteration of maliquemalic

Words nearby maleic acid

malefic, maleficence, maleficent, Malegaon, male gaze, maleic acid, maleic anhydride, maleic hydrazide, male menopause, malemute, Malenkov

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

British Dictionary definitions for maleic acid

maleic acid

/ (məˈleɪɪk) /

noun

a colourless soluble crystalline substance used to synthesize other compounds. Formula: HOOCCH:CHCOOHSystematic name: cis-butanedioic acid

Word Origin for maleic acid

C19: from French maléique, altered form of malique; see malic acid

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 maleic acid

maleic acid

[ mə-lē′ĭk ]

A colorless crystalline acid used in textile processing and as an oil and fat preservative. Maleic acid is a geometric isomer of fumaric acid, having two carboxyl groups (COOH) on the same side of an ethylene chain. Chemical formula: C4H4O4.