What does cholate mean?
Cholate is a technical term from biochemistry denoting any salt or ester of cholic acid, one of the primary bile acids synthesized by the liver from cholesterol. In living organisms, cholates exist chiefly as bile salts, where they perform the essential digestive role of emulsifying fats so that lipases can break them down efficiently. The word also has a specific laboratory meaning: sodium cholate is a mild, negatively charged detergent widely used by researchers to solubilize membrane proteins, extract lipids, and reconstitute biological membranes for study. Because of this dual identity — natural metabolite and standard biochemical reagent — cholate appears mainly in scientific literature on digestion, lipid metabolism, and protein purification. Though it resembles the word 'chocolate' in spelling, the resemblance is purely visual; both words ultimately derive from different roots. For readers outside the life sciences, cholate is worth recognizing precisely because it surfaces whenever fats, bile, or detergent-based lab techniques are under discussion, making it a small but genuinely useful piece of scientific vocabulary.
nounA salt or ester of cholic acid, a bile acid produced in the liver. Cholates occur naturally as bile salts and are widely used in biochemistry to solubilize and study membrane proteins.
- A salt or ester of cholic acid, especially one occurring as a bile salt in the body.
- Sodium cholate specifically, used in laboratory work as a mild detergent to solubilize membrane proteins and lipids.
"The researchers used sodium cholate to extract the membrane protein from the cell wall."
"Bile acids circulate in the intestine largely in the form of cholates, which help emulsify dietary fats."
"The membrane protein was purified using a buffer containing 1% sodium cholate."
The plural is used when referring generally to the class of cholic acid salts and esters found in bile or used as detergents.
"Both primary and secondary bile acids circulate as cholates bound to amino acids."
Despite looking like a typo of 'chocolate,' cholate is actually a detergent scientists use to dissolve cell membranes — no dessert involved.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cholate
The word cholate derives from Greek 'cholē', meaning bile, combined with the '-ate' suffix used in chemistry to name salts and esters. It was coined in the nineteenth century alongside related terms such as cholic acid, cholesterol ('solid bile'), and choline, all of which preserve the same Greek root. The shared origin explains why several bile-related and liver-related scientific terms carry the 'chol-' element familiar today from the disease name cholera.
How cholate is actually used
Strictly technical vocabulary: you will encounter 'cholate' almost exclusively in biochemistry, molecular biology, and physiology texts rather than everyday speech. It typically appears in compound forms such as sodium cholate or deoxycholate when referring to the reagents used in laboratories.
Easily confused with cholate
'Cholate' is a biochemical term for a bile-acid salt, while 'chocolate' is the familiar food made from cacao — the two share letters but nothing else.
'Cholera' is an infectious diarrheal disease, whereas 'cholate' is simply a salt or ester of cholic acid; both trace back to the Greek word for bile.