oxaloacetic acid

noun

ox·a·lo·ace·tic acid ˌäk-sə-lō-ə-ˈsē-tik-

variants or less commonly oxalacetic acid

ˌäk-sə-lə-ˈsē-tik-

: a crystalline acid C₄H₄O₅ that is formed by reversible oxidation of malic acid (as in carbohydrate metabolism via the Krebs cycle) and in reversible transamination reactions (as from aspartic acid)

Word History

Etymology

oxalic + acetic acid

First Known Use

1896, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of oxaloacetic acid was in 1896

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Oxaloacetic acid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oxaloacetic%20acid. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

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