Definition of "acyl" []

• Chemistry A radical having the general formula RCO-, derived from an organic acid. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The preparation of pentagalloyl glucose has proved this compound to be nearly identical with tannin obtained from galls (_tannin_); a few other natural tannins belong to this type which Fischer terms acyl compounds of sugar with hydroxybenzoic acids."
• "To communicate with its brethren, it uses a molecule called acyl-homoserine lactone, or AHL."
• "The tranport of these fat building blocks is carried out by a protein called acyl carrier protein (ACP), and once again, vitamin B5 is required for this protein to function."