saponify
[ suh-pon-uh-fahy ]
verb (used with object),sa·pon·i·fied, sa·pon·i·fy·ing.
to convert (a fat) into soap by treating with an alkali.
to decompose (any ester), forming the corresponding alcohol and acid or salt.
Origin of saponify
1Other words from saponify
- sa·pon·i·fi·a·ble, adjective
- sa·pon·i·fi·ca·tion, noun
- sa·pon·i·fi·er, noun
- non·sa·pon·i·fi·a·ble, adjective
- non·sa·pon·i·fi·ca·tion, noun
- un·sa·pon·i·fi·a·ble, adjective
- un·sa·pon·i·fied, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for saponify
saponify
/ (səˈpɒnɪˌfaɪ) /
verb-fies, -fying or -fied chem
to undergo or cause to undergo a process in which a fat is converted into a soap by treatment with alkali
to undergo or cause to undergo a reaction in which an ester is hydrolysed to an acid and an alcohol as a result of treatment with an alkali
Origin of saponify
1C19: from French saponifier, from Latin sāpō soap
Derived forms of saponify
- saponifiable, adjective
- saponifier, noun
- saponification, noun
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
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