palmitic acid

noun

pal·​mit·​ic acid (ˌ)pal-ˈmi-tik- 

(ˌ)pä-,

(ˌ)päl-,

(ˌ)pȯ-,

(ˌ)pȯl-

: a waxy crystalline saturated fatty acid C₁₆H₃₂O₂ occurring free or in the form of esters (such as glycerides) in most fats and fatty oils and in several essential oils and waxes

Examples of palmitic acid in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The crucial recipe was a mixture of myristic acid, palmitic acid, and palmitoleic acid, all of which were isolated from the milky part of the blood that Leinwand had observed in her first experiment. —Anthony King, Discover Magazine, 4 June 2012

For example in butter, oleic acid (32%), myristic acid (20%), palmitic acid (15%) and searic acid (15%) make up the greatest percentage of the fatty acids [2]. —Vince C Reyes, Discover Magazine, 28 May 2013

The blood of fasted and fed pythons contained very different blends of fatty acids, and the team identified three that are particularly important – myristic acid, palmitic acid and palmitoleic acid. —Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 27 Oct. 2011

In the past, pure retinol was combined with a fatty acid called palmitic acid to formulate pro-retinol, giving it the scientific name retinyl palmitate. —Devon Abelman, Allure, 4 Sep. 2021

And this formula can includes the cost of supplements, like palmitic acid. —Karen Ho, Quartz, 4 Mar. 2021

And all of the samples contained chemicals like palmitic acid and stearic acid, which suggest plant oils and waxes were also part of the mix. —Kiona N. Smith, Ars Technica, 2 July 2019

The main ingredient of the Whitechapel fatberg is palmitic acid, an unsaturated fat found in butter, palm oil, and olive oil, as well as meat, cheeses, and milk. —Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 18 Aug. 2018

What’s the deal: An antioxidant that prevents oils from turning rancid, ascrobyl palmitate comes from combining vitamin C (ascorbic acid) and palmitic acid from fat. —Magdalena Puniewska, Bon Appetit, 31 Aug. 2017

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary, from palmitin

First Known Use

1849, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

palmitic acid

noun

pal·​mit·​ic acid (ˌ)pal-ˌmit-ik-, (ˌ)pä(l)- 

: a waxy crystalline saturated fatty acid C₁₆H₃₂O₂ occurring free or in the form of esters (as glycerides) in most fats and fatty oils and in several essential oils and waxes

called also hexadecanoic acid