Dihydroceramide

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A type of lipid molecule consisting of ceramide with two additional hydrogen atoms replaced by a hydroxyl group
2. a structural component of cellular membranes that plays a role in signaling processes
3. a derivative of sphingolipids that contributes to skin barrier function and hydration

Etymology: Dihydroceramide is a textbook case of chemical naming: the word is built by stacking prefixes onto a base name. The base, "ceramide," is itself a compound describing a class of waxy lipids that pair a fatty acid with a sphingosine backbone, a name that fits its role as the "ceramide" family in cell membranes. "Hydro-" is the chemist's prefix for added hydrogen atoms, and "di-" means two, so dihydroceramide is a ceramide carrying two extra hydrogens, one of the saturated intermediates that cells convert into ceramide proper. The word therefore describes a molecular structure rather than a thing anyone could hold. Its parts follow standard systematic naming, which lets chemists read the composition straight from the name without a separate description.

Synonyms: ceramide, lipid, sphingolipid