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phospholipid

American  
[fos-foh-lip-id] / ˌfɒs foʊˈlɪp ɪd /

noun

Biochemistry.

  1. any of a group of fatty compounds, as lecithin, composed of phosphoric esters, and occurring in living cells.

phospholipid British  
/ ˌfɒsfəˈlɪpɪd /

noun

  1. Also called: phosphatide.  any of a group of compounds composed of fatty acids, phosphoric acid, and a nitrogenous base: important constituents of all membranes

"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
phospholipid Scientific  
/ fŏs′fō-lĭp′ĭd /

  1. Any of various phosphorus-containing lipids, such as lecithin, that are composed mainly of fatty acids, a phosphate group, and a simple organic molecule such as glycerol. Phospholipids are the main lipids in cell membranes.

Etymology

Origin of phospholipid

First recorded in 1925–30; phospho- + lipid

Vocabulary lists containing phospholipid

Cell Biology - High School

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Biochemistry

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Nutrition and Digestion - High School

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Their preclinical research, published December 22 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggests that replacing a missing phospholipid in the bloodstream could help restore normal brain blood flow and ease dementia-related symptoms.

From Science Daily • Dec. 25, 2025

Their analysis involved comparing the major component composition, major and trace mineral composition, protein composition, fatty acid composition, phospholipid composition microstructural properties, color analysis, and volatile component analysis of the different whole milk powder samples.

From Science Daily • Mar. 27, 2024

These channels facilitate water transportation across cells more rapidly than diffusion through the membrane phospholipid bilayer.

From Science Daily • Dec. 21, 2023

If unsaturated fatty acids are compressed, the “kinks” in their tails elbow adjacent phospholipid molecules away, maintaining some space between the phospholipid molecules.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

A phospholipid has both hydrophobic and hydrophilic regions.

From Textbooks • Apr. 25, 2013

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.