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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 (gcide)

lipid \lip"id\ n. [Gr. li`pos fat.] (Chem., Biochem.)
Any of a variety of oily or greasy organic compounds found as
major structural components of living cells; they are
insoluble in water but soluble in organic solvents such as
alcohol and ether, and include the common {fats},
{cholesterol} and other steroids, {phospholipids},
{sphingolipids}, {waxes}, and {fatty acids}; some of the
lipids, together with proteins and carbohydrates, form an
essential structural component of living cells, as in the
cell walls and membranes. The term lipid refers to its
solubility in nonpolar solvents, and has no significance with
regard to chemical structure.

Syn: lipide, lipoid.
[WordNet 1.5]