: any of various cyclic esters formed from hydroxy acids
lactonic
lak-ˈtä-nik
adjective
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the WebAnother clean fragrance brand, St. Rose, imbues its creations with a macrocyclic synthetic musk called juniper lactone to lend scents like St. Rose’s Desert Nomad an earthy bounce.ELLE, 30 Apr. 2022 Ivermectin was developed by Merck in the 1970s, decades before molnupiravir, and is classified as a macrocyclic lactone. Miriam Fauzia, USA TODAY, 12 Oct. 2021 The company was able to biosynthesize the musk fragrance compounds by leveraging its lactone production technology with its lipid platform. John Cumbers, Forbes, 12 May 2021 Those similar substances include flavonoids, a group of plant metabolites that have antioxidant effects, and sesquiterpene lactones, a class of chemical compounds that are known to have anti-inflammatory properties, Merville said. Scott Cacciola, New York Times, 4 May 2016
Word History
Etymology
International Scientific Vocabulary
First Known Use
1880, in the meaning defined above
Medical Definition
lactone
noun
lac·tone ˈlak-ˌtōn
: any of various cyclic esters formed from hydroxy acids compare lactam, sultone