lipid

noun

lip·​id ˈli-pəd 

variants or less commonly lipide

ˈli-ˌpīd 

: any of various substances that are soluble in nonpolar organic solvents (such as chloroform and ether), that are usually insoluble in water, that with proteins and carbohydrates constitute the principal structural components of living cells, and that include fats, waxes, phosphatides, cerebrosides, and related and derived compounds

lipidic

li-ˈpi-dik 

adjective

Examples of lipid in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Consuming flaxseed may lower total and LDL cholesterol and blood lipid levels. —Carrie Madormo, Rn, Mph, Verywell Health, 17 Mar. 2025

And in 2022, scientists found that gecko feet are coated with an ultra-thin layer of lipid molecules in an upright orientation. —Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 4 Feb. 2025

This is unlike adipocytes, which, in obesity, will fill their lipid vacuoles and grow in size or empty them and shrink during periods of starvation. —New Atlas, 30 Jan. 2025

All of them successfully expressed the gold, woolly hair of the mammoth as well as its accelerated lipid metabolism. —Jeffrey Kluger, TIME, 4 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary

First Known Use

1912, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

lipid

noun

lip·​id ˈlip-əd 

: any of various substances (as fats and waxes) that with proteins and carbohydrates make up the principal structural parts of living cells

Medical Definition

lipid

noun

lip·​id ˈlip-əd 

variants also lipide

-ˌīd 

: any of various substances that are soluble in nonpolar organic solvents (as chloroform and ether), that with proteins and carbohydrates constitute the principal structural components of living cells, and that include fats, waxes, phospholipids, cerebrosides, and related and derived compounds