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Glite Dictionary
fumaric acid

fumaric acid

1 5.5
A clear white chemical with a light fruity taste used to make foods sour and to make some plastics
  • noun
  • /ˈfjuːmərɪk ˈæsɪd/
  • Specialized
: ácido fumárico
  • Because of its fruity taste, fumaric acid is sometimes used in beverage powders.

Examples

  • The laboratory synthesized fumaric acid for use in polyester resin production.

  • Many candies contain fumaric acid for its fruity taste.

  • Fumaric acid is commonly added to food products as an acidity regulator.

  • The recipe calls for fumaric acid to enhance the flavor.

  • The flavor of fumaric acid enhances the taste of certain sour candies.

  • In many food products, fumaric acid is used to give a fruity taste.

  • For industrial applications, fumaric acid is a key component in the production of polyester resins.

Surface Forms

fumaric acid singular
fumaric acids plural

Morphology

fumaric + acid

The form adjective + noun ('fumaric acid') follows the common compositional pattern that signals 'a particular kind of acid', so a learner who knows both constituents can infer it refers to a specific acid. However, 'fumaric' is a specialised chemical name with no clear everyday meaning for B1 learners and does not allow them to predict the acid's properties or taste, making the expression only partially predictable.

Etymology

Fumaric acid gets its name from a plant called Fumaria (fumitory) where scientists first found the chemical. The part fumaric points to the plant and acid shows it is an acid, so the name simply means 'acid from fumitory' and explains why we call this food and industrial acid fumaric acid today.