Definition of "aliphatic" [al•i•phat•ic]

• Of, relating to, or designating a group of organic chemical compounds in which the carbon atoms are linked in open chains. (adjective)

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.

• "For example, among a class of compounds known as aliphatic esters, ethyl acetate has a fruity, rummy smell."
• "And those tests, Sawyer says, are routinely turning up long-chain "aliphatic" hydrocarbons associated with liver damage."
• "In fact, petroleum distillate refers to a type of hydrocarbon which results from the processing of crude oil, and may be aliphatic or aromatic."