Definitions

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

  • noun The solid form of fat.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun An ether or glyceride, C3H5O3(C18H35O2)3, formed by the combination of stearic acid and glycerin.
  • noun A popular name for stearic acid as used in making candles.

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

  • noun (Physiol. Chem.) One of the constituents of animal fats and also of some vegetable fats, as the butter of cacao. It is especially characterized by its solidity, so that when present in considerable quantity it materially increases the hardness, or raises the melting point, of the fat, as in mutton tallow. Chemically, it is a compound of glyceryl with three molecules of stearic acid, and hence is technically called tristearin, or glyceryl tristearate.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Solid fat
  • noun organic chemistry The triglyceride of stearic acid

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun an ester of glycerol and stearic acid

Etymologies

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

[French stéarine : Greek stear, tallow; see stāi- in Indo-European roots + French -ine, -in.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From French stéarine, from Ancient Greek στέαρ (stéar, "fat").

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Examples

  • Earlier, similar properties had been found in stearin.

    The Nobel Prize in Physics 1991 - Presentation Speech 1997

  • An oil is produced by pressing the white kernel of the nut which is used for cooking when fresh, and by pressure affords stearin, which is made into candles, the liquid being used for lamps.

    Catalogue of Economic Plants in the Collection of the U. S. Department of Agriculture William Saunders 1861

  • Tallow (stearin) is a beef fat that is a common component of most soaps.

    Every Man Jack Redefining Men's Grooming Products 2007

  • Tallow (stearin) is a beef fat that is a common component of most soaps.

    25 posts from June 2007 2007

  • Harding would only have had at his disposal sulphuric acid, but by heating this acid with the neutral fatty bodies he could separate the glycerine; then from this new combination, he easily separated the olein, the margarin, and the stearin, by employing boiling water.

    The Mysterious Island 2005

  • Harding would only have had at his disposal sulphuric acid, but by heating this acid with the neutral fatty bodies he could separate the glycerine; then from this new combination, he easily separated the olein, the margarin, and the stearin, by employing boiling water.

    The Mysterious Island 2005

  • Colouring can be added (mineral oxides) or water-repellents (2% calcium stearin).

    Chapter 6 1995

  • Grease a mold or ovenproof dish with paraffin or stearin and bake for 21/2 hours.

    The Diary Of A Young Girl Frank, Anne, 1929-1945 1991

  • Elastic or "india rubber," stearin, gums, vanilla, etc., made up an interesting exhibition of native products.

    Final Report of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition Commission Louisiana Purchase Exposition Commission

  • All fats can be separated into glycerol and a fatty acid, glycerol or glycerine being common constituents, while each fat yields its own characteristic acid, as stearin, stearic acid; palmitin, palmitic acid; and olein, oleic acid.

    Human Foods and Their Nutritive Value Harry Snyder

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