margarique

Forms

margarique (plural margariques)^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Ancient Greek μάργαρον (márgaron, “pearl”) with the suffix -ique.^[2][1][3] The Greek word is a simplified variant of μαργαρίτης (margarítēs, “pearl”), the source of marguerite.^[4][5] The acid was named for its pearly colour, like margarine, which Chevreul had named in 1813.^[3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first recorded in 1816 in the Annales de chimie et de physique, in the phrase acide margarique.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

Littré defined acide margarique as the acid obtained by treating fat with an alkali.^[5] Hugo, in Les Misérables (1862), has a student speak of the fifteen acids between margaric and formic acid.^[2] English borrowed the word as margaric in 1819; it is now obsolete in science.^[6]

Timeline

• 1813 – Chevreul names margarine.^[3][4]
• 1816 – Margarique in the Annales de chimie et de physique.^[2][3]
• 1819 – English margaric is borrowed from it.^[6]
• 1862 – Hugo uses acide margarique in Les Misérables.^[2]

Meanings

Adjective

1. (chemistry) margaric: acide margarique, a fatty acid once obtained from fats.^[2][5][1]

Related words

• margarine
• marguerite
• Ancient Greek μάργαρον (márgaron)
• English margaric

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
3. ^ a b c d e Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
4. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
6. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com