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Glite Dictionary
butyric acid

butyric acid

1 6.8
An acid in fats that has a very strong unpleasant smell often found in spoiled butter
  • noun
  • /bjuˈtɪrɪk ˈæsɪd/
  • Specialized
translation icon : ácido butírico
  • The strong odor of butyric acid can be detected in spoiled dairy products.

Examples

  • Butyric acid is responsible for the unpleasant smell of rancid butter.

  • It smelled of butyric acid and dextrorotatory sucrose, and also very faintly of Canoe.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • In certain cheeses, butyric acid contributes to the pungent aroma they are known for.

Synonyms

butanoic acid
vsbutyric acid
  • Specialized
7.8

A substance in butter and some fats that has a strong unpleasant smell

emphasizes a stronger unpleasant smell and occurrence in rancid animal fats

How Smelly

butyric acid
  • Specialized
1 6.8
decanoic acid
  • Specialized
7.7
animal fat
5 2.6
cooking oil
7 1.0

Surface Forms

butyric acid singular
butyric acids plural

Morphology

butyric + acid

The noun is partly compositional: 'acid' clearly signals a chemical substance, and 'butyric' (from butyr-/butter) denotes relation to butter/fats, so a learner can infer it is an acid associated with fats. However the precise technical sense — a specific fatty acid with a strong rancid smell — is specialized and relies on etymological/chemical knowledge beyond basic vocabulary, making the relation only partially predictable.

Etymology

Butyric acid gets its name from an old word for 'butter' because the substance was first found in spoiled butter. So butyric points to 'butter' and acid shows it is an acid, which is why the name now refers to the strong, bad-smelling chemical in spoiled fats.