stearic acid

noun

Chemistry.

1. a colorless, waxlike, sparingly water-soluble, odorless solid, C 1 8 H 3 6 O 2 , the most common fatty acid, occurring as the glyceride in tallow and other animal fats and in some animal oils: used chiefly in the manufacture of soaps, stearates, candles, cosmetics, and in medicine in suppositories and pill coatings.

stearic acid

noun

1. a colourless odourless insoluble waxy carboxylic acid used for making candles and suppositories; octadecanoic acid. Formula: CH 3 (CH 2 ) 16 COOH See also stearin

stearic acid

1. A colorless, odorless, waxlike fatty acid occurring in animal and vegetable fats and used in making soaps, candles, lubricants, and other products. Chemical formula: C ₁₈ H ₃₆ O ₂ .

Word History and Origins

Origin of stearic acid¹

First recorded in 1825–35