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adipocere

[ ad-uh-poh-seer ]

noun

  1. a waxy substance produced by the decomposition of dead animal bodies in moist burial places or under water.


adipocere

/ ˌædɪˈpɒsərəs; ˌædɪpəʊˈsɪə; ˈædɪpəʊˌsɪə /

noun

  1. a waxlike fatty substance formed during the decomposition of corpses Nontechnical namegrave-wax
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


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Derived Forms

  • adipocerous, adjective
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Other Words From

  • ad·i·poc·er·ous [ad-, uh, -, pos, -er-, uh, s], adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of adipocere1

1795–1805; < French adipocire, equivalent to adipo- adipo- + cire wax < Latin cēra; English e by association with cēra; cere 2
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Word History and Origins

Origin of adipocere1

C19: via French from New Latin adiposus fat (see adipose ) + French cire wax
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Example Sentences

He is the first to observe and describe that curious product of the decomposition of flesh known to modern chemists as adipocere.

Hatchettine or rock-fat is sometimes called adipocere; and bog-butter is a substance nearly similar to it.

Besides, dead animal matter38 can be worked up more profitably than in making artificial adipocere.

There was not a trace of adipocere—the peculiar waxy soap that forms in bodies that decay in water or in a damp situation.

The autopsy on the exhumed body of Perrotte Mace was inconclusive, owing to the condition of adipocere.

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adipo-adipocerite