polyunsaturated

[ pol-ee-uhn-sach-uh-rey-tid ]

adjective

, Nutrition.

1. of or noting a class of animal or vegetable fats, especially plant oils, whose molecules consist of carbon chains with many double bonds unsaturated by hydrogen atoms and that are associated with a low cholesterol content of the blood.

polyunsaturated

/ ˌpɒlɪʌnˈsætʃəˌreɪtɪd /

adjective

1. of or relating to a class of animal and vegetable fats, the molecules of which consist of long carbon chains with many double bonds. Polyunsaturated compounds are less likely to be converted into cholesterol in the body. They are widely used in margarines and in the manufacture of paints and varnishes See also monounsaturated

polyunsaturated

/ pŏl′ē-ŭn-săch′ə-rā′tĭd /

1. Relating to an organic compound, especially a fat, in which more than one pair of carbon atoms are joined by double or triple bonds.
2. See more at unsaturated

Word History and Origins

Origin of polyunsaturated¹

First recorded in 1930–35; poly- + unsaturated

Example Sentences

In fact, the correction of the Cambridge study had to do with polyunsaturated fats—not saturated fats.

From The Daily Beast

The recording was sprinkled with repeated instances of unusual key words, such as “polyunsaturated” and “knuckleduster.”

From The Daily Beast