adipocere

Definition

A brown, fatty, waxy substance (fatty acids) that forms on dead animal tissues in response to hydrolysis.

Etymology

From adipo- + Latin cēra.

Example Sentences

• "In some cases, however, brains outlast all other soft tissues and remain intact for hundreds or thousands of years. […] [Alexandra] Morton-Hayward's experiments suggest the brains endure through a process called molecular cross-linking, in which brain protein remnants and degraded lipids form a spongy polymer. […] The mechanism appears distinct from how some other bodily tissues are preserved after turning to adipocere, or "grave wax," which forms when body fats transform into a tallow-colored soaplike substance. "Adipocere forms in adipose tissue — that's buttocks, arms, cheeks," says Sonia O'Connor, an archaeologist and pioneering researcher of ancient brains at the University of Bradford in England. "There is no adipose tissue in the brain. It's the wrong chemistry.""