Squalene
/ˈskwæliːn/noun
A colorless, oily hydrocarbon found in shark liver oil, olives, and other natural sources.
Did you know?Squalene was named from the Latinized scientific genus name *Squalus* for sharks, because early chemists first isolated it from shark liver oil—so its name carries the shadow of the sea predator itself.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
squalus
“rough, rugged, dirty; also used in the scientific naming of sharks”
18th Century
Latin
Squalus
“the Latinized genus name for sharks”
1916
English
squalene
“the name given to a hydrocarbon isolated from shark liver oil”
Modern English
English
squalene
“a naturally occurring unsaturated hydrocarbon found in oils and biological tissues”