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Glite Dictionary
undecylenic acid

undecylenic acid

8.2
A chemical in sweat used to treat skin infections caused by fungus like athlete's foot
  • noun
  • /ˌʌndɪˈsɪlɪnɪk ˈæsɪd/
  • Specialized
: ácido undecilénico
  • Doctors often prescribe undecylenic acid for treating athlete's foot.

Examples

  • The antifungal cream contains undecylenic acid to treat athlete’s foot.

  • Researchers detected elevated levels of undecylenic acid in the perspiration samples.

  • Doctors sometimes recommend undecylenic acid for mild fungal infections on the skin.

  • Many antifungal creams contain undecylenic acid as an active ingredient.

  • Doctors sometimes recommend undecylenic acid for mild fungal infections on the skin.

  • The antifungal cream contains undecylenic acid to treat athlete’s foot.

  • Many antifungal creams contain undecylenic acid as an active ingredient.

Surface Forms

undecylenic acid singular
undecylenic acids plural

Morphology

undecylenic + acid

This is a specialised chemical name: the modifier 'undecylenic' is not a common English word and its internal morphology (chemical prefix/suffix) is not transparently interpretable by a B1 learner. Knowing only the common noun 'acid' does not allow one to infer the specific meaning (a particular fatty acid used medically), so the expression is essentially lexicalized technical vocabulary that must be learned.

Etymology

Undecylenic acid may come from the part undec- meaning 'eleven', because the chemical has a chain of eleven links, and the word acid shows it is a fatty acid. That's why the name points to a natural skin acid often used in creams to fight fungal infections.