propionic acid
noun Chemistry, Pharmacology.
a colorless, oily, water-soluble liquid, C3H6O2, having a pungent odor: used in making bread-mold-inhibiting propionates, in perfumery, and in medicine as a topical fungicide.
Also
propanoic acid.
Also called
methylacetic acid.
Origin of propionic acid
First recorded in 1850–55
Words nearby propionic acid
propionaldehyde,
propionate,
propionibacteria,
propionibacterium,
propionic,
propionic acid,
propionicacidemia,
propitiate,
propitiation,
propitiatory,
propitious
British Dictionary definitions for propionic acid
Word Origin for propionic acid
C19: from Greek
pro- first +
pionic from
piōn fat, because it is first in order of the fatty acids
Medical definitions for propionic acid
propionic acid
[ prō′pē-ŏn′ĭk ]
n.
A fatty acid found naturally in sweat and as a product of bacterial fermentation, used as a mold inhibitor in bread.
propanoic acid
Scientific definitions for propionic acid
propionic acid
[ prō′pē-ŏn′ĭk ]
A liquid fatty acid found naturally in sweat and milk products and as a product of bacterial fermentation. It is also prepared synthetically from ethanol and carbon monoxide, and is used chiefly in the form of its propionates as a mold inhibitor in bread and as an ingredient in perfume. Chemical formula: C3H6O2.