Word
lipid
US/ˈɫaɪpəd/
UK/lˈɪpɪd/
Definition
n. a type of natural oil, fat, or wax that does not dissolve in water. These are important parts of living cells and help your body store energy.
n. any of a class of organic compounds that are fatty acids or their derivatives and are insoluble in water but soluble in organic solvents. Includes many natural oils, waxes, and steroids.
Examples
“The doctor checked the lipid levels in my blood.”
“A healthy diet requires a balance of different nutrients, including proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids.”
“The cell membrane is primarily composed of a lipid bilayer, which acts as a selective barrier to control the movement of substances in and out of the cell.”
Examples
simple
“The doctor checked the lipid levels in my blood.”
contextual
“A healthy diet requires a balance of different nutrients, including proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids.”
complex
“The cell membrane is primarily composed of a lipid bilayer, which acts as a selective barrier to control the movement of substances in and out of the cell.”
Usage
Often used in the plural when referring to medical test results or biological categories.
Real-World Examples
Common in science writing
“Glycosylation, the process of attaching a sugar molecule to a protein or lipid, is the most common chemical change to a protein after it has been built by a cell.” “The glycocalyx is built from carbohydrates attached to proteins or lipids.” “These compounds reduce the body's production of lipids.” Etymology
Borrowed from French lipide, coined in 1923 by Gabriel Bertrand from Ancient Greek λῐ́πος (lĭ́pos, “animal fat”) + French -ide.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/lipid