|prōpē|änik- noun
Etymology: propionic International Scientific Vocabulary pro- (I) + pion- (from Greek pion-, piōn fat) + -ic; originally formed as French ( acide ) propionique — more at piophilidae
: a liquid fatty acid C 2 H 5 COOH that has a sharp odor and is miscible with water, that occurs in milk and milk products and in distillates of wood, coal, and petroleum but that is usually made by oxidation of propionaldehyde or propyl alcohol, and that is used chiefly in making salts (as the fungistatic calcium and sodium salts) and esters (as used for fruity and floral odors in perfumes)