Aliphatic \Al`i*phat"ic\, a. [Gr. ?, ?, oil, fat.] (Org. Chem.)
Of, pertaining to, or derived from, fat; fatty; -- applied to
compounds having an open-chain structure. The aliphatic
compounds thus include not only the fatty acids and other
derivatives of the paraffin hydrocarbons, but also
unsaturated compounds, as the ethylene and acetylene series.
Compare {alicyclic} and {aromatic}.
[Webster 1913 Suppl.]