Butyrate
/ˈbjuːtɪreɪt/noun
A salt or ester of butyric acid.
Did you know?Butyrate traces back to butter via Latin *butyrum* and Greek *boutyron*, a reminder that some of chemistry’s cleanest-sounding terms were born from the stinkiest discoveries.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
boutyron
“butter”
Latin
Latin
butyrum
“butter”
19th Century
English
butyric acid
“the fatty acid first obtained from rancid butter”
19th Century
English
butyrate
“a salt or ester derived from butyric acid”
Modern English
English
butyrate
“a salt or ester of butyric acid”