What does glyceride mean?
A glyceride is a chemical compound formed when glycerol, a small three-carbon alcohol, combines with fatty acids to form an ester. These compounds are central to the structure of edible fats and oils: triglycerides, in which all three hydroxyl groups of glycerol are attached to fatty acids, make up most dietary fats. Changing the type or arrangement of those fatty-acid chains produces glycerides with different physical properties, including different melting points, textures, and stability. The term is used in chemistry and biochemistry, but also appears in food science and industrial applications involving fats, oils, emulsifiers, and lubricants. Glyceride should not be confused with glycerol itself, which is the alcohol framework rather than the finished ester, or with triglyceride, which is one specific and especially common type of glyceride.
nounA glyceride is an ester formed by combining glycerol with one or more fatty acids. In common chemical and food-science usage, glycerides usually refers to triglycerides, the principal form in which fats and oils occur.
- A chemical ester formed from glycerol and one or more fatty acids, especially a mono-, di-, or triglyceride.
"The laboratory separated the mixture into individual glycerides with different carbon-chain lengths."
"Vegetable oil consists largely of glycerides made from plant-derived fatty acids."
"The chemist used spectroscopy to determine the structure of the glyceride and identify its constituent fatty acids."
The plural is standard in technical discussions of fats, oils, and related compounds.
"The samples contained glycerides with widely differing fatty-acid compositions."
The familiar fats in food are built on a glycerol backbone: change the attached fatty acids, and the same basic glyceride structure can take very different forms.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does glyceride come from?
The word belongs to the glycer- family, whose chemical names are ultimately associated with glycerine and with Greek glykeros, meaning “sweet.” Glyceride was formed in English by combining this stem with the chemical suffix -ide, following the naming pattern of related compounds. Its relatives glycerine, glycerol, glyceric, and glyceryl preserve the same chemical and lexical root in different functions.
Related word forms
How glyceride is actually used
This is primarily a technical term in chemistry, biochemistry, and food science. In everyday discussion it often appears in the plural and generally refers specifically to triglycerides, even though its broader chemical meaning includes mono- and diglycerides.
Easily confused with glyceride
Glycerol is the alcohol used to build the molecular framework of a glyceride, whereas a glyceride is the resulting ester formed with fatty acids.
A triglyceride is a glyceride whose glycerol molecules are esterified with three fatty-acid molecules; the term glyceride can also encompass mono- and diglycerides.