Propionic Acid Definition

prōpē-ŏnĭk

noun

A colorless, sharp-smelling, liquid fatty acid, CH₃CH₂CO₂H, found in chyme and sweat, and produced from ethanol and carbon monoxide: used in making artificial flavors, perfume esters, preservatives, etc.

Webster's New World

Synonyms:

Synonyms:
propanoic-acid

Origin of Propionic Acid

Coined by the French chemist Jean-Baptiste Dumas, from the Ancient Greek protos ("first") and pion ("fat"), because it was the smallest carboxylic acid that exhibited the properties of the other fatty acids, such as producing an oily layer when salted out of water and having a soapy potassium salt.

From Wiktionary
Greek pro- first pro–² Greek pīōn fat (from the fact that it is first in order among the fatty acids) peiə- in Indo-European roots –ic

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition