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Glite Dictionary
cholestane

cholestane

1 9.9
A chemical made from cholesterol found in old rocks that helps scientists study ancient life
  • noun
  • /koʊˈlɛsteɪn/
  • Specialized
: colestano
  • Scientists detected cholestane in the rock samples to study the presence of ancient life.

Examples

  • By analyzing cholestane, geologists can infer the existence of early cholesterol-producing organisms.

  • The presence of cholestane helps researchers identify the origins of petroleum deposits.

  • The geologist discovered a sample of cholestane in the sediment.

  • Researchers are studying cholestanes to understand ancient ecosystems.

  • Scientists detected cholestane in the rock samples to study the presence of ancient life.

  • The presence of cholestane helps researchers identify the origins of petroleum deposits.

  • By analyzing cholestane, geologists can infer the existence of early cholesterol-producing organisms.

Surface Forms

cholestane singular
cholestaness plural

Morphology

cholestane = cholesterol (opaque) = cholest + ane

Although formed from the cholesterol stem plus the chemical suffix '-ane', the specialized chemical meaning of '-ane' is technical and not recoverable by an average B1 learner from 'cholesterol' alone.

Etymology

Cholestane comes from cholesterol, the body fat you may know; the root chole- means 'bile' and the ending -ane shows it is a simple oil-like chemical. So cholestane is a cholesterol-like molecule found in rocks, which is why scientists use it to study ancient life.