propionic acid

noun

Chemistry, Pharmacology.

1. a colorless, oily, water-soluble liquid, C 3 H 6 O 2 , having a pungent odor: used in making bread-mold-inhibiting propionates, in perfumery, and in medicine as a topical fungicide.

propionic acid

/ ˌprəʊpɪˈɒnɪk /

noun

1. the former name for propanoic acid

propionic acid

1. A liquid fatty acid found naturally in sweat and milk products and as a product of bacterial fermentation. It is also prepared synthetically from ethanol and carbon monoxide, and is used chiefly in the form of its propionates as a mold inhibitor in bread and as an ingredient in perfume. Chemical formula: C ₃ H ₆ O ₂ .

Word History and Origins

Origin of propionic acid¹

First recorded in 1850–55

Word History and Origins

Origin of propionic acid¹

C19: from Greek pro- first + pionic from piōn fat, because it is first in order of the fatty acids