Butyric
/buːˈtɪr.ɪk/noun
Relating to or containing butyric acid, a fatty acid found in butter and some animal fats.
Did you know?Butyric acid gets its name from Latin butyrum, borrowed from Greek boutyron, a word traditionally explained as meaning “cow cheese,” tying a modern lab term to ancient dairy life.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*gʷou-
“Cow, ox”
Ancient Greek
Greek
βούτυρον (boutyron)
“Butter; literally “cow-cheese” in the traditional explanation”
Latin
Latin
butyrum
“Butter”
19th Century
French/English scientific
butyrique / butyric
“Relating to butyric acid, first isolated from rancid butter”
Modern English
English
butyric
“Pertaining to butyric acid or its salts and esters”