Science & TechnologyGreek → English
Lipid
/ˈlɪpɪd/noun
Any of the fatty compounds that store energy and build cell membranes.
The Greek roots
λίπος
lípos
fat, grease
Literally: “fat substance”
Follow a root:λίπος3 words
The story of the word
The French chemist Gabriel Bertrand proposed lipide in 1923 as an umbrella for fats, oils and waxes, which until then had no single chemical name. λίπος is the grease itself, the fat on meat and the oil rubbed into skin at the gymnasium. Anyone who has heard a doctor talk about a lipid panel has heard a Greek word for lard.
- How it travelled
- Ancient Greek → French coinage → English
- First recorded
- 1925
Same family
liposuctionlipoproteinlipomalipolysis
In a sentence
The vaccine is wrapped in a lipid shell, which is why it needs a freezer.
His lipid results came back worse than last year.