Meaning & use
oleic
Last updated
Meaning
adjectivebefore a nounchemistrytechnical
Relating to or obtained from oil, especially describing a fatty acid that is found in many plant and animal fats.
Grammar: Used before a noun, mostly acid: oleic acid.
Patterns
- oleic acid
- oleic content
Olive oil is rich in oleic acid, which is a monounsaturated fat.
The label shows the oleic content of the sunflower oil.
Chemists measured the oleic fraction of the sample.
Common combinations
- oleic acid
- Oleic acid makes up most of the fat in olive oil.
- high oleic
- High oleic sunflower oil is more stable when heated.
- oleic content
- Breeders tested the oleic content of each seed.
- oleic oil
- Researchers compared different oleic oils for frying.
Synonyms and how they differ
- monounsaturated
- Monounsaturated describes the chemical type of fat, whereas oleic names a specific acid within that group.
- fatty
- Fatty is a general word for fat-related things, but oleic names one particular acid.
Word family
Commonly confused: oleic or oleaginous?
oleic vs oleaginous
Oleaginous means oily, and may also describe a person who is too smooth in speech. Oleic is a scientific term for a specific acid.
Practice
Oleic acid is best described as which of these?
Choose one answer.
Oleic acid is a fatty acid and a main part of olive oil. Battery acid is a very different substance, sulfuric acid.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “oleic”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.