propionic acid

noun, Chemistry, Pharmacology
1.
a colorless, oily, water-soluble liquid, C 3 H 6 O 2 , having a pungent odor: used in making bread-mold-inhibiting propionates, in perfumery, and in medicine as a topical fungicide.
Also, propanoic acid.
Also called methylacetic acid.
Origin
1850-55
Examples from the web for propionic acid
  • propionic acid and salts, are exempt from the requirement of a tolerance.
  • propionic acid bacteria produce propionic acid, a known antifungal substance.
British Dictionary definitions for propionic acid

propionic acid

/ˌprəʊpɪˈɒnɪk/
noun
1.
the former name for propanoic acid
Word Origin
C19: from Greek pro- first + pionic from piōn fat, because it is first in order of the fatty acids
propionic acid in Medicine

propionic acid pro·pi·on·ic acid (prō'pē-ŏn'ĭk)
n.
A fatty acid found naturally in sweat and as a product of bacterial fermentation, used as a mold inhibitor in bread. Also called propanoic acid.

propionic acid in Science
propionic acid
  (prō'pē-ŏn'ĭk)   
A liquid fatty acid found naturally in sweat and milk products and as a product of bacterial fermentation. It is also prepared synthetically from ethanol and carbon monoxide, and is used chiefly in the form of its propionates as a mold inhibitor in bread and as an ingredient in perfume. Chemical formula: C3H6O2.