margarine
n.n. a soft, white fat that is used as a substitute for butter in cooking. It is usually made from vegetable oils and has a similar texture to butter.
n. a soft, white fat used as a substitute for butter, typically manufactured from vegetable oils. Often contains emulsifiers and lecithin to achieve a texture similar to animal fats.
I spread margarine on my toast every morning.
Many people choose margarine over butter because it is lower in saturated fat and contains more unsaturated fats.
The shift from traditional animal fats to hydrogenated vegetable oils in the mid-twentieth century led to the widespread popularity of margarine as a healthier alternative.
Borrowed from French margarine, from acide margarique (“margaric acid”), from Ancient Greek μάργαρον (márgaron, “pearl”), in allusion to its pearly lustre, with the suffix -ine, influenced by glycérine (“glycerine”). French chemist Michel Eugène Chevreul named margaric acid after its pearl-like crystallization.