polyunsaturated

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

/ ˌpɒl i ʌnˈsætʃ əˌreɪ tɪd /

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adjective Nutrition.

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.

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Origin of polyunsaturated

First recorded in 1930–35; poly- + unsaturated

Words nearby polyunsaturated

polytriglyph, polytrophic, polytunnel, polytypic, polyunsaturate, polyunsaturated, polyurethane, polyuria, polyvalent, polyvinyl, polyvinyl acetal

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

How to use polyunsaturated in a sentence

In fact, the correction of the Cambridge study had to do with polyunsaturated fats—not saturated fats.
The AHA’s Absurd Saturated Fat Obsession|Dr. Barbara H. Roberts|June 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The recording was sprinkled with repeated instances of unusual key words, such as “polyunsaturated” and “knuckleduster.”
Will Work for 25 Cents an Hour!|Thomas E. Weber|June 22, 2011|DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for polyunsaturated

polyunsaturated

/ (ˌpɒlɪʌnˈsætʃəˌreɪtɪd) /

adjective

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 varnishesSee also monounsaturated

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 polyunsaturated

polyunsaturated

[ pŏl′ē-ŭn-săch′ə-rā′tĭd ]

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