lactic acid Hear it!

lactic acid definition

lactic acid

a yellowish or clear, syrupy organic acid, CHCHOHCOOH, produced by the fermentation of lactose when milk sours or from sucrose and some other carbohydrates by the action of certain microorganisms, and used in tanning leather, as a preservative, in the formation of plasticizers, etc.

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Comments
Improve this definition.
Do you have more to add? Share your linguistic knowledge or observation.
/Register to save your comments.