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saponify

[ suh-pon-uh-fahy ]
/ səˈpɒn əˌfaɪ /
Chemistry
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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.
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Origin of saponify

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

OTHER WORDS FROM saponify

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

How to use saponify in a sentence

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

Derived forms of saponify

saponifiable, 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
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