lactic acid

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noun Biochemistry.

a colorless or yellowish, syrupy, water-soluble liquid, C3H6O3, produced during muscle contraction as a product of anaerobic glucose metabolism, abundant in sour milk, prepared usually by fermentation of cornstarch, molasses, potatoes, etc., or synthesized: used chiefly in dyeing and textile printing, as a flavoring agent in food, and in medicine.

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Origin of lactic acid

First recorded in 1780–90

Words nearby lactic acid

lacteal, lacteous, lactescent, lacti-, lactic, lactic acid, lactiferous, lactivist, lacto-, lactobacillus, lactoferrin

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use lactic acid in a sentence

Injured tissue is more acidic than healthy tissue due to a process known as acidosis, where lactic acid and other acidic byproducts produced by damaged tissue collect.
Chemists think they’ve found a way to make opioids less addicting|Purbita Saha|July 17, 2021|Popular-Science
When we’re talking about that fairness argument, we don’t talk about the fact that someone like Michael Phelps, who produces less lactic acid in his body, has a physiological advantage.
Andraya Yearwood, a Star of Hulu’s New Changing the Game Documentary, Talks Life as a Trans Athlete|Madeleine Carlisle|June 10, 2021|Time
The limitations of rejuvelac inspired her to research ways to bring traditional lactic acid fermentation to plant-based milks.
Vegan Cheese Is Ready to Compete With Dairy. Is the World Ready to Eat It?|Alicia Kennedy|April 1, 2021|Eater
Heat increases blood flow, which will help make the tissue more elastic, eliminate lactic acid and other toxins, and reduce pain.
A step-by-step guide to giving yourself a massage|Sandra Gutierrez G.|January 14, 2021|Popular-Science

Reduce lactic acid buildup after a run by treating your muscles to the TimTam PowerMassager.
Electronics and exercise gear that make excellent gifts|PopSci Commerce Team|October 8, 2020|Popular-Science
Cheese makers also often add cultures or lactic acid to their milk to keep it from spoiling during fermentation.
Why We Love Stinky Cheese|Stacey Slate|January 14, 2010|DAILY BEAST
The presence of phenol causes a deep amethyst-blue color, as in Uffelmann's test for lactic acid.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
Its disadvantage is that it introduces, with the bread, a variable amount of lactic acid and numerous yeast-cells.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
The presence of lactic acid is the most suggestive single symptom of gastric cancer.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
These same lactic acid bacteria may be useful when they sour the milk for the cheese maker.
A Civic Biology|George William Hunter
An uncrystallisable salt prepared by saturating ammonia, or its carbonate, with lactic acid.
Cooley's Cyclopdia of Practical Receipts and Collateral Information in the Arts, Manufactures, Professions, and Trades..., Sixth Edition, Volume I|Arnold Cooley

British Dictionary definitions for lactic acid

lactic acid

noun

a colourless syrupy carboxylic acid found in sour milk and many fruits and used as a preservative (E270) for foodstuffs, such as soft margarine, and for making pharmaceuticals and adhesives. Formula: CH 3 CH(OH)COOHSystematic name: 2-hydroxypropanoic acid

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for lactic acid

lactic acid

[ lăk′tĭk ]

A syrupy, water-soluble organic acid produced when milk sours or certain fruits ferment. It is also produced in the body during the anaerobic metabolism of glucose, as in muscle tissue during exercise, where its buildup can cause cramping pains. A synthetic form of lactic acid is used as a flavoring and preservative, in dyeing and textile printing, and in pharmaceuticals. Chemical formula: C3H6O3.