Cholesterol
/ˌkɒl.əˈstɛr.ɒl/noun
A waxy steroid alcohol found in animal tissues and blood, essential in cell membranes and a precursor to hormones.
Did you know?The word was coined in 1815 from Greek roots because the substance was first isolated from gallstones, and its name literally points to a bile-derived solid.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
khole
“bile, gall”
Ancient Greek
Greek
stereos
“solid, firm”
18th–19th Century
French/Scientific Latin
cholestérine
“a solid substance found in gallstones and bile”
1815
French
cholestérine
“Michel Eugène Chevreul’s coined term for the newly isolated substance”
Modern English
English
cholesterol
“the standard English name for the sterol found in animal tissues and blood”