Palmitic
/pælˈmɪtɪk/noun
Relating to or being a saturated fatty acid, C16:0, found in many animal and plant fats.
Did you know?Palmitic acid was named from Latin *palma* (“palm”), because early chemists first associated it with palm oil, showing how scientific names often hide botanical history inside them.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*pelh₂-
“to spread, fan out”
Latin
Latin
palma
“the palm of the hand; a palm tree”
Late Latin
Latin
palmitātum
“a palm-derived substance or palm oil compound”
19th Century
French/English
palmitique
“a fatty substance isolated from palm oil”
Modern English
English
palmitic
“relating to palmitic acid”