{Margaric acid}.
(a) (Physiol. Chem.) A fatty body, crystallizing in pearly
scales, and obtained by digesting saponified fats (soaps)
with an acid. It was formerly supposed to be an
individual fatty acid, but is now known to be simply an
intimate mixture of stearic and palmitic acids.
(b) (Chem.) A white, crystalline substance, {C17H34O2} of the
fatty acid series, intermediate between palmitic and
stearic acids, and obtained from the wax of certain
lichens, from cetyl cyanide, and other sources.