O`le*o*mar"ga*rine (?), n. [L. oleum oil + E. margarine, margarin.] [Written also oleomargarin.]

1.

A liquid oil made from animal fats (esp. beef fat) by separating the greater portion of the solid fat or stearin, by crystallization. It is mainly a mixture of olein and palmitin with some little stearin.

2.

An artificial butter made by churning this oil with more or less milk.

⇒ Oleomargarine was wrongly so named, as it contains no margarin proper, but olein, palmitin, and stearin, a mixture of palmitin and stearin having formerly been called margarin by mistake.

© Webster 1913.