What does caprate mean?
A caprate is any salt or ester of capric acid, a ten-carbon saturated fatty acid also known as decanoic acid. Capric acid occurs naturally in the milk and butterfat of goats and cows and in coconut oil, and its name derives from the Latin caper, meaning goat, reflecting the animal source from which it was first characterized. Compounds called caprates appear throughout organic chemistry and industry: sodium caprate has attracted attention as an absorption enhancer in drug delivery, while ethyl caprate is prized in flavor chemistry for the fruity, brandy-like aroma it lends to distilled spirits and wines. Because capric acid sits alongside related fatty acids named after the same goat root — caproic, caprylic, and capric — the term belongs to a small family of chemically linked names. Though firmly technical in register, caprate is a useful word for readers interested in food science, pharmacology, or the chemistry of everyday fats.
nounA salt or ester of capric acid (decanoic acid), a saturated fatty acid found naturally in milk fats such as goat's milk and coconut oil.
- Any salt or ester of capric acid (decanoic acid), used chiefly in organic chemistry, biochemistry, and pharmaceutical research.
"Sodium caprate is widely studied as an absorption enhancer in pharmaceutical formulations."
"The researchers used sodium caprate to improve the intestinal absorption of the drug."
"Ethyl caprate contributes fruity, brandy-like notes to the aroma profile of aged spirits."
The plural refers collectively to multiple distinct caprate compounds rather than multiple units of one substance.
"Several caprates were analyzed by gas chromatography to identify the aroma compounds in the whiskey."
Caprates get their name from the goat — capric acid was first identified in the pungent fat of goat's milk, so this chemistry word literally carries the smell of the farmyard in its pedigree.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of caprate
The word caprate combines 'capr-', from Latin caper ('goat'), with the '-ate' suffix standard for salts and esters in chemical nomenclature. It traces back through capric acid, which was named for the goat's-milk fats from which it was first isolated in the early nineteenth century. The same Latin root gives rise to the sibling fatty-acid names caproate, caprylate, and caprate, as well as the unrelated-in-meaning adjective caprine ('goatlike').
How caprate is actually used
A technical term confined mainly to chemistry, biochemistry, and pharmaceutical literature; it is rarely encountered in general conversation. In flavor science, esters of capric acid are noted for their wine- or brandy-like aromas.
Easily confused with caprate
A 'cap rate' (capitalization rate) is a real-estate measure of investment return, while 'caprate' is a chemical salt or ester of capric acid.
'Capitate' means head-shaped or refers to a bone of the wrist, whereas 'caprate' is a decanoate compound in chemistry.