Malic

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈmælɪk/

Definitions

1. A type of organic acid that contributes a tart flavor in various fruits and is essential in numerous biochemical reactions within plants and animals
2. An organic compound known for its presence in sour fruits, which plays a vital role in metabolic processes and is studied for its impact on flavor and food preservation
3. A compound found in certain fruits that imparts a sour taste and plays a crucial role in the metabolic activities of both plants and animals

Etymology: Malic comes from French "malique," which was coined in 1785 by the French chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele and the team around him, who isolated the acid from unripe apples. The name was built on Latin "mālum," meaning "apple," so the acid was named for the fruit that first yielded it. The word is a sort of chemical fossil: Scheele's team was not naming a compound in the modern sense but simply pointing to the apple as its source. English took the term from French during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, when chemists were systematically naming substances after the natural materials they came from. Other acids followed the same pattern, such as citric acid from citrus fruit, and malic acid is still the name used in chemistry and food science today.

Synonyms: acidic, sour, tart

Antonyms: sweet, bland, insipid