stearin
(ˈstiːərɪn)
Also -ine.
[ad. F. stéarine (Chevreul), f. Gr. στέαρ stiff fat, tallow, suet: see -in.]
1. Chem. A general name for the three glycerids (monostearin, distearin, tristearin) formed by the combination of stearic acid and glycerine; chiefly applied to tristearin, which is the chief constituent of tallow or suet.
| 1817 T. Thomson Syst. Chem. (ed. 5) II. 371 Stearin..was first described by Chevreul in 1814. 1819 Brande Man. Chem. 374 A dry, concrete, fatty matter is obtained, which Chevreul has called stearine. 1819 J. G. Children Chem. Anal. 310 Stearin..somewhat resembles wax. 1845 Todd & Bowman Phys. Anat. I. 43 Stearine exists but sparingly, or not at all, in human fat. 1869 Roscoe Chem. 386 The Stearic..Ethers of Glycerin, or Stearins..may be prepared artificially by heating glycerin with stearic acid. |
| Comb. 1873 C. H. Ralfe Outl. Phys. Chem. 21 Stearic acid unites with glycerine to form stearin glycerin. |
2. The solid portion of any fixed oil or fat, in contradistinction to
olein 2.
| 1910 Encycl. Brit. VI. 635/2 By boiling the livers at a somewhat high temperature, ‘unracked’ cod oil is obtained, containing a considerable quantity of ‘stearine’, this fat, which separates on cooling, is sold as ‘fish-stearine’ for soap-making. |
3. (Chiefly spelt
stearine.) The commercial name of a preparation consisting of purified fatty acids, used for making candles, and formerly also as a material for statuettes.
| 1839 Ure Dict. Arts 248 In June, 1825, M. Gay Lussac obtained a patent in England for making candles from margaric and stearic acids, improperly called stearine. 1870 Illustr. Lond. News 1 Oct. 359 Casts in stearine from two busts of Prince Leopold and Princess Amelie. 1879 Cassell's Techn. Educ. II. 74/2 Every one is now familiar with those [candles] made of stearine or stearic acid. 1887 Encycl. Brit. XXII. 527/1 Stearine, in commerce, designates a solid mixture of fatty acids (chiefly palmitic and stearic) which is being produced industrially from animal fats and used largely for the making of candles. |
b. attrib.| 1848 J. Burnet Ess. Fine Arts iv. 130 His pictures possess that peculiar stearine substance found in the works of Watteau. 1844 E.A. Parnell's Appl. Chem. II. 303 Stearine candles, when properly made, are white and inodorous. 1878 A. H. Markham Gt. Frozen Sea xix. 267 A stearine lamp. |