triglyceride

[ trahy-glis-uh-rahyd, -er-id ]

noun

, Biochemistry, Chemistry.

1. an ester obtained from glycerol by the esterification of three hydroxyl groups with fatty acids, naturally occurring in animal and vegetable tissues: an important energy source forming much of the fat stored by the body.

triglyceride

/ traɪˈɡlɪsəˌraɪd /

noun

1. any ester of glycerol and one or more carboxylic acids, in which each glycerol molecule has combined with three carboxylic acid molecules. Most natural fats and oils are triglycerides

triglyceride

/ trī-glĭs′ə-rīd′ /

1. Any of a class of organic compounds that are esters consisting of three fatty acids joined to glycerol. The fatty acids may be the same or may be different. Triglycerides are the chief lipids constituting fats and oils and function to store chemical energy in plants and animals.

Word History and Origins

Origin of triglyceride¹

First recorded in 1855–60; tri- + glyceride

Example Sentences

Making healthy lifestyle choices — like exercising regularly, limiting alcohol intake and consuming a diet that’s high in fibers and healthy fats — can greatly reduce triglyceride levels.

From Salon

“We were surprised to find that animals consuming a diet consisting of the probiotic microbes found in kombucha tea displayed reduced fat accumulation, lower triglyceride levels, and smaller lipid droplets — an organelle that stores the cell's lipids — when compared to other diets,” researchers noted.

From Salon

Maybe our man received a frightening blood pressure reading or a triglyceride audit that fell outside acceptable margins and has decided to take matters into his own hands.

From Slate

However, patients with type 1 diabetes have very little to gain from lowering the current guideline values for cardiometabolic risk factors such as BMI, cholesterol and triglyceride levels, or improved renal function.

From Science Daily

In assessing the severity of fatty tissue and triglyceride concentrations in the liver, the scientists found that the triglyceride levels were significantly higher and fatty deposits in the liver and groin were greater in the mice that consumed the high-fat diet compared with all other treatment groups, according to the study.

From Science Daily