(n.) One of the constituents of animal fats and also of some vegetable fats, as the butter of cacao. It is especially characterized by its solidity, so that when present in considerable quantity it materially increases the hardness, or raises the melting point, of the fat, as in mutton tallow. Chemically, it is a compound of glyceryl with three molecules of stearic acid, and hence is technically called tristearin, or glyceryl tristearate.

animal oil cerate drying oil essential oil fat fatty oil fixed oil glycerin glycerin jelly glycerogel glycerogelatin glycerol glycerole grease hydrogenated fat lipid margarin mineral oil oil olein oleum palmitin polyunsaturated fat sebum stearin tallow triolein tripalmitin tristearin unsaturated fat vegetable oil volatile oil