Cetyl
noun
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The univalent hexadecyl radical C₁₆H₃₃- present in many waxes.
"1997, David M. Hawcroft, The Basics: Electrophoresis, IRL Press, Oxford University Press, page 30, Other detergents are available, including alternative ionic forms (such as the cetyls) for cleaving nucleic acid-protein bonds."
Example
More examples"1997, David M. Hawcroft, The Basics: Electrophoresis, IRL Press, Oxford University Press, page 30, Other detergents are available, including alternative ionic forms (such as the cetyls) for cleaving nucleic acid-protein bonds."
Etymology
From Latin cetus (“whale”) + -yl.
Related phrases
More for "cetyl"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.