v.
Pronunciation: s ə - ' pä-n ə - ˌ f ī
Function: verb
Inflected Form: -fied ; -fy · ing
Etymology: French saponifier, from Latin sapon-, sapo
Date: 1821
transitive verb : to convert (as fat) into soap specifically : to hydrolyze (a fat) with alkali to form a soap and glycerol
intransitive verb : to undergo saponifying
– sa · pon · i · fi · able \ - ˌ f ī - ə -b ə l \ adjective
– sa · pon · i · fi · ca · tion \ - ˌ pä-n ə -f ə - ' k ā -sh ə n \ noun
– sa · pon · i · fi · er \ - ' pä-n ə - ˌ f ī (- ə )r \ noun