n.
A colorless organic liquid, CH3COCOOH, formed as an intermediate in carbohydrate metabolism and fermentation and as an end product in glycolysis.
[PYR(O)- + Latin ūva, grape (from its being produced by the dry distillation of racemic acid, originally derived from grapes) + -IC.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
