saponify

[suh-pon-uh-fahy]Chemistry

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.

verb (used without object), sa·pon·i·fied, sa·pon·i·fy·ing.

to become converted into soap.

Origin of saponify

1815–25; < Latin sāpōn- (stem of sāpō) soap + -ify

Related formssa·pon·i·fi·a·ble, adjectivesa·pon·i·fi·ca·tion, nounsa·pon·i·fi·er, nounnon·sa·pon·i·fi·a·ble, adjectivenon·sa·pon·i·fi·ca·tion, nounun·sa·pon·i·fi·a·ble, adjectiveun·sa·pon·i·fied, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for saponify

Historical Examples of saponify

Next to olive oil, this species is the most easy to saponify.
A Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures and Mines
Andrew Ure
But to simplify the operation, he preferred to saponify the fat by means of lime.
The Mysterious Island
Jules Verne
This oil closely resembles cocoa-nut and palm-nut oils and is stated to saponify readily and yield a soap free from odour.
The Handbook of Soap Manufacture
W. H. Simmons
Caustic soda is then added to saponify the fat not converted by the lime saponification.
Soap-Making Manual
E. G. Thomssen
First saponify 100 parts house grease and 100 parts ordinary grease and make a run soap.
Soap-Making Manual
E. G. Thomssen

British Dictionary definitions for saponify

saponify

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

Derived Formssaponifiable, adjectivesaponifier, nounsaponification, noun

Word Origin for saponify

C19: from French saponifier, from Latin sāpō soap

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

Word Origin and History for saponify

1821, from French saponifier (see saponification). Related: Saponified; saponifying.

saponify in Medicine

saponify

[sə-pŏn′ə-fī′]

To undergo saponification.