Meanings
- historicaluncountableA type of oily acid (a mixture rich in capric- and caproic acids) made from mutton suet, having an odor similar to that of a goat, used in the early days of the production of soap, and in soup-making.
Hircic acid is the odorous principle of soap, made of mutton suet, and it exists in so very small quantity....Its smell resembles that of a goat
1824, Walter Scott, The Edinburgh Annual Register - 1823Synonyms: hircin
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA type of oily acid (a mixture rich in capric- and caproic acids) made from mutton suet, having an odor similar to that of a goat, used in the early days of the production of soap, and in soup-making.
Origin
Named by Michel Eugène Chevreul, a French chemist. First use in 1823
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
hircic acid. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hircic%20acid
“hircic acid.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hircic%20acid. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hircic acid,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hircic%20acid.
Source: hircic acid on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.