n-Octadecanoic acid; one of the most abundant fatty acid s found in animal lipids; used in pharmaceutical preparations, ointments, soaps, and suppositories.
* * *
stea·ric acid stē-.ar-ik-, .sti(ə)r-ik- n a white crystalline fatty acid C18H36O2 obtained by saponifying tallow or other hard fats containing stearin also a commercial mixture of stearic and palmitic acids
* * *
* * *
ste·a·ric ac·id (ste-arґik) [stear- + -ic] a saturated 18-carbon fatty acid occurring in most fats and oils, particularly the oils of land animals and fats of tropical plants; stearic and palmitic acids are the two most common saturated fatty acids in body fluids. See also table at fatty acid. [NF] a preparation containing a mixture of stearic and palmitic acids, prepared by hydrogenation of fats and oils that are derived from edible sources unless the preparation is for external use only; used as a tablet and capsule lubricant and as an emulsifying and solubilizing agent.Medical dictionary. 2011.