Margaric

1 definition found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Margaric \Mar*gar"ic\, a. [Cf. F. margarique. See {Margarite}.]
     Pertaining to, or resembling, pearl; pearly.
     [1913 Webster]
  
     {Margaric acid}.
     (a) (Physiol. Chem.) A fatty body, crystallizing in pearly


         scales, and obtained by digesting saponified fats (soaps)
         with an acid. It was formerly supposed to be an
         individual fatty acid, but is now known to be simply an
         intimate mixture of stearic and palmitic acids.
     (b) (Chem.) A white, crystalline substance, {C17H34O2} of the
         fatty acid series, intermediate between palmitic and
         stearic acids, and obtained from the wax of certain
         lichens, from cetyl cyanide, and other sources. Called
         also {heptadecanoic acid}.
         [1913 Webster]