ester

Etymology

From German Ester, perhaps a contraction or abstraction of Essigäther (“ethyl acetate”), from Essig (“vinegar”) (from Latin acetum) and Äther (“ether”). See ether for more.

noun

1. (organic chemistry) A compound most often formed by the condensation of an alcohol and an acid, with elimination of water, which contains the functional group carbon-oxygen double bond (i.e., carbonyl) joined via carbon to another oxygen atom.
   To produce a test material containing at least 75 percent omega-3 polyunsaturates, the menhaden triglycerides are transesterified to produce fatty acid ethyl esters. The esters are reacted with urea dissolved in hot ethanol and the solution is cooled overnight. 1991, Malcolm B. Hale et al., “New Products and Markets for Menhaden, Brevoortia spp.”, in Marine Fisheries Review, volume 53, number 4, page 47
   The thiol-coenzyme-A ester formed by R-arylpropionic acid can bind to triglyceride to form a “hybrid” triglyceride: such hybrid triglycerides can cause alteration of fatty-acid metabolism and membrane function, and a lipophilic triglyceride–propionic-acid hybrid would be able to cross lipid membranes such as the blood–brain barrier. 1991, W. F. Kean, C. J. L. Lock, H. E. Howard-Lock, “Chirality in antirheumatic drugs”, in The Lancet, volume 338, →DOI, page 1567
   The effort’s primary material systems are vinyl esters and polyurethanes, reinforced with inexpensive chopped-glass rovings. Automated glass-fiber preforming processes and high-rate molding procedures are being studied in an effort to reduce cycle times and production costs substantially. 1996, Steven Ashley, “Composite car structures pass the crash test”, in Mechanical Engineering, volume 118, number 12, page 60