Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Margaric
Mar-gar′ic
,Adj.
[Cf. F.
margarique
. See Margarite
.] Pertaining to, or resembling, pearl; pearly.
Margaric acid
. (a)
(Physiol. Chem.)
A fatty body, crystallizing in pearly scales, and obtained by digesting saponified fats (soaps) with an acid. It was formerly supposed to be an individual fatty acid, but is now known to be simply an intimate mixture of stearic and palmitic acids.
(b)
(Chem.)
A white, crystalline substance,
C17H34O2
of the fatty acid
series, intermediate between palmitic and stearic acids, and obtained from the wax of certain lichens, from cetyl cyanide, and other sources. Called also heptadecanoic acid
.Webster 1828 Edition
Margaric
MARGAR'IC
,Adj.