stearic acid: Meaning and Definition of

stear'ic ac'id

1. a colorless, waxlike, sparingly water-soluble, odorless solid, CHO, the most common fatty acid, occurring as the glyceride in tallow and other animal fats and in some animal oils: used chiefly in the manufacture of soaps, stearates, candles, cosmetics, and in medicine in suppositories and pill coatings. Also called