Main Entry: sa·pon·i·fy

Pronunciation: \sə-ˈpä-nə-ˌfī\

Function: verb

Inflected Form(s): sa·pon·i·fied; sa·pon·i·fy·ing

Etymology: French saponifier, from Latin sapon-, sapo

Date: 1821

transitive verb : to convert (as fat) into soap; specifically : to hydrolyze (a fat) with alkali to form a soap and glycerolintransitive verb : to undergo saponifying

— sa·pon·i·fi·able \-ˌfī-ə-bəl\ adjective

— sa·pon·i·fi·ca·tion \-ˌpä-nə-fə-ˈkā-shən\ noun

— sa·pon·i·fi·er \-ˈpä-nə-ˌfī(-ə)r\ noun