Library / English Dictionary

FATTY ACID

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Any of a class of aliphatic monocarboxylic acids that form part of a lipid molecule and can be derived from fat by hydrolysis; fatty acids are simple molecules built around a series of carbon atoms linked together in a chain of 12 to 22 carbon atoms

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Hypernyms ("fatty acid" is a kind of...):

carboxylic acid (an organic acid characterized by one or more carboxyl groups)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "fatty acid"):

saturated fatty acid (a fatty acid whose carbon chain cannot absorb any more hydrogen atoms; found chiefly in animal fats)

unsaturated fatty acid (a fatty acid whose carbon chain can absorb additional hydrogen atoms)

trans fatty acid (a fatty acid that has been produced by hydrogenating an unsaturated fatty acid (and so changing its shape); found in processed foods such as margarine and fried foods and puddings and commercially baked goods and partially hydrogenated vegetable oils)

Credits

 Context examples: 

This allele, which encodes long-chain-fatty-acid—CoA ligase 6 protein, plays a role in fatty acid metabolism.

(ACSL6 wt Allele, NCI Thesaurus)

This gene plays a role in oxidation of fatty acids.

(ALOX12 Gene, NCI Thesaurus)

This protein plays a role in the beta-oxidation of branched-chain fatty acids.

(Alpha-Methylacyl-CoA Racemase, NCI Thesaurus)

This gene is involved in fatty acid metabolism.

(ACOX2 Gene, NCI Thesaurus)

This gene is involved in fatty acid oxidation.

(ALOX12B Gene, NCI Thesaurus)

Fish also contains omega-3 fatty acids, which help brain development and protect against heart disease.

(Fairer fish trade could fix nutrient deficiencies in coastal countries, SciDev.Net)

The delta-9-desaturase is an enzyme that helps the liver form monounsaturated fatty acids from saturated ones.

(Blood Fatty Acids Reveal Your Child's Diet, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

Fatty fish is high in omega-3 fatty acids which have anti-inflammatory properties.

(Fish-Rich Diet Beneficial for Children with Asthma, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

A class of monounsaturated fatty acids with 19 carbons.

(Nonadecenoic Acid, NCI Thesaurus/CRCH)

National Institutes of Health researchers have identified a naturally occurring lipid—a waxy, fatty acid—used by a disease-causing bacterium to impair the host immune response and increase the chance of infection.

(Natural lipid acts as potent anti-inflammatory, National Institutes of Health)