Definition of "stearin"

stearin

/ˈstɪəɹɪn/

noun
usually uncountable, plural stearins
1. Solid fat.
2. (organic chemistry) A glyceride (especially the triglyceride) of stearic acid
  Quotations
  When exposed to the temperature of 32°, it[whale oil] deposits stearin, and the oil separated from the stearin by filtration is soluble in 0.82 of pure alcohol when heated to about 168° Fahr.
  1860, Oil, entry in The Penny Cyclopædia of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, Volumes 16: Murillo—Organ, page 415
  Palmkernel (PK) oil is fractionated in one step to concentrate the triglycerides containing medium-chain fatty acids (lauric and myristic) into a stearin fraction.
  1997, Ralph E. Timms, “8: Fractionation”, in Frank D. Gunstone, Fred B. Padley, editors, Lipid Technologies and Applications, page 217
  Stearin is a hard, nongreasy substance, an ester of stearic acid, that is mixed with molten tallow at about a 1:9 ratio to make a tallow candle that is harder, burns longer, and does not give off the usual smoke and unpleasant odors of ordinary tallow.
  2008, Matthew Stein, When Technology Fails, page 411