Fat (?), n. 1.
(Physiol. Chem.) An oily liquid or greasy substance
making up the main bulk of the adipose tissue of animals, and widely
distributed in the seeds of plants. See Adipose tissue, under
Adipose.
&fist; Animal fats are composed mainly of three distinct
fats, tristearin, tripalmitin, and triolein,
mixed in varying proportions. As olein is liquid at ordinary
temperatures, while the other two fats are solid, it follows that the
consistency or hardness of fats depends upon the relative proportion
of the three individual fats. During the life of an animal, the fat
is mainly in a liquid state in the fat cells, owing to the solubility
of the two solid fats in the more liquid olein at the body
temperature. Chemically, fats are composed of fatty acid, as stearic,
palmitic, oleic, etc., united with glyceryl. In butter fat, olein and
palmitin predominate, mixed with another fat characteristic of
butter, butyrin. In the vegetable kingdom many other fats or
glycerides are to be found, as myristin from nutmegs, a glyceride of
lauric acid in the fat of the bay tree, etc.
2. The best or richest productions; the best
part; as, to live on the fat of the land.
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