Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The ester of glycerol and one, two, or three fatty acids.
  • noun Any of various soft, solid, or semisolid organic compounds constituting the esters of glycerol and fatty acids and their associated organic groups.
  • noun A mixture of such compounds occurring widely in organic tissue, especially in the adipose tissue of animals and in the seeds, nuts, and fruits of plants.
  • noun Animal tissue containing such substances.
  • noun A solidified animal or vegetable oil.
  • noun Obesity; corpulence.
  • noun Unnecessary excess.
  • adjective Having much or too much fat or flesh; plump or obese.
  • adjective Full of fat or oil; greasy.
  • adjective Abounding in desirable elements.
  • adjective Fertile or productive; rich.
  • adjective Having an abundance or amplitude; well-stocked.
  • adjective Yielding profit or plenty; lucrative or rewarding.
  • adjective Prosperous; wealthy.
  • adjective Thick; large.
  • adjective Puffed up; swollen.
  • transitive & intransitive verb To make or become fat; fatten.
  • idiom (a fat lot) Very little or none at all.
  • idiom (fat chance) Very little or no chance.
  • idiom (the fat is in the fire) Bad consequences are sure to follow; trouble lies ahead.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • In painting, rich; full of color.
  • noun A local Australian term for fat or marketable cattle.
  • noun A large open vessel for water, wine, or other liquids; a tub; a cistern: now usually vat (which see).
  • noun A dry measure, generally equal to 9 bushels.
  • Having much flesh other than muscle; having an unusual amount of flesh; corpulent; obese: as, a fat man; a fat ox.
  • Containing the substance called fat (see II.); containing or consisting of fat, oil, or grease; oily; greasy; unctuous: as, a fat dish; fat cheese.
  • Hence Containing much resin; resinous: as, fat pine.
  • Containing much plastic or unctuous matter; pinguid: said of clay which is free from intermingled sand, and consequently highly plastic; or of lime made from limestone which contains but a small amount (ten per cent. or less) of the ordinary impurities of limestone — silica, alumina, oxid of iron, etc.
  • Having or showing, in mind or movement, the qualities of a fat animal; heavy; dull; stupid.
  • Well supplied with what is needful or desired; abounding in comforts; prosperous.
  • Abundant in production, or yielding large profits; rich in results or yield; profitable.
  • Nautical, broad, as the quarter of a ship.
  • noun A white or yellowish oily solid substance forming the chief part of the adipose tissue of animals, and also found in plants.
  • noun The best or richest part of a thing.
  • noun In type-setting, work which for any reason is unusually profitable to the compositor. See fat work, above.
  • To make fat; fatten.
  • To become fat; grow fat.
  • In leather-manuf, to smear over with a heavy oil.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • intransitive verb To grow fat, plump, and fleshy.
  • noun obsolete A large tub, cistern, or vessel; a vat.
  • noun obsolete A measure of quantity, differing for different commodities.
  • noun (Physiol. Chem.) An oily liquid or greasy substance making up the main bulk of the adipose tissue of animals, and widely distributed in the seeds of plants. See Adipose tissue, under adipose.
  • noun The best or richest productions; the best part.
  • noun (Typog.) Work. containing much blank, or its equivalent, and, therefore, profitable to the compositor.
  • noun (Chem.) See Sebacic acid, under Sebacic.
  • noun (Chem.) the series of the paraffine hydrocarbons and their derivatives; the marsh gas or methane series.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English, from Old English fǣtt, fatted; see peiə- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English, from Old English fæt ("vat, vessel, jar, cup, casket, division"), from Proto-Germanic *fatan (“vessel”), from Proto-Indo-European *pod- (“vessel”). Cognate with Dutch vat ("barrel, vessel"), German Fass ("barrel, drum"), Swedish fat ("barrel, dish, cask"). See vat.

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Examples

  • Mutton fat so prepared is sometimes termed _savory fat_.

    School and Home Cooking Carlotta Cherryholmes Greer

  • Heat an iron frying pan until hot; oil it with a bit of fat from the meat; _then remove the fat_.

    School and Home Cooking Carlotta Cherryholmes Greer

  • Clean the meat, remove excess fat, and place the meat in a very hot frying pan _without any fat_.

    School and Home Cooking Carlotta Cherryholmes Greer

  • V. i.112 (241,5) [as fat and fulsome] [W: flat] _Fat_ means _dull_; so we say a _fatheaded_ fellow; _fat_ likewise means _gross_, and is sometimes used for _obscene_; and _fat_ is more congruent to _fulsome_ than _flat_.

    Notes to Shakespeare — Volume 01: Comedies Samuel Johnson 1746

  • So – although I consider 12% fat close too ideal in terms of needed fat – up-too 25% is fine if it serves a purpose – an extra 300 calories of coconut – beans – peanut butter or olive oil – each one of these would provide an extra boost of value to a low-calorie diet and if the fat% reached 25% – it would be fine

    The low-fat diet cascade | The Blog of Michael R. Eades, M.D. 2007

  • The tonic bubbles and the lime, like the cucumber and mint, will refresh the palate, which has been encased in fat from the heavy cream.

    Cucumber soup: impossible food-wine pairing?!? | Dr Vino's wine blog 2009

  • However, because fat is the most concentrated source of calories, it is difficult to consume a high calorie diet that is low in fat and it is not recommended that children with AGS restrict fat.

    Frequently Asked Questions About Alagille Syndrome 2009

  • The word fat was swirling through my head, sounding the alarms.

    Unbearable Lightness Portia de Rossi 2010

  • When religious people gather, they bring Pyrex dishes full of handmade dishes invented back when the term fat-free didn't exist and the closest equivalent word was bland.

    Science vs. Religion: The Ultimate Smackdown 2008

  • When religious people gather, they bring Pyrex dishes full of handmade dishes invented back when the term fat-free didn't exist and the closest equivalent word was bland.

    Alt Text: Science vs. Religion -- The Ultimate Smackdown 2008

  • I am what many in the fat activism community call “small fat,” meaning I am technically larger than what society deems the acceptable body size, but I am not as fat as many others.

    Why No One Noticed I Was Hungry - Rewire.News Rewire News Group Contributors 2020

Comments

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  • FAT - (noun), (verb) - a battle or combat; to engage in battle or combat.

    Usage: "You younguns keep fat'n, n' ah'm gonna whup y'uh."

    April 8, 2008

  • Fresno Yosemite International Airport.

    October 24, 2008