Phrase guide

eicosapentaenoic acid

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

An omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA), having 20 carbon atoms and 5 cis double bonds, that acts as a precursor for prostaglandin-3, thromboxane-3, and leukotriene-5 eicosanoids

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

Topics: chemistry, natural-sciences, organic-chemistry, physical-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: EPA, icosapentaenoic acid, timnodonic acid, 20:5

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

an omega-3 fatty acid with 20 carbon atoms; found in fish (especially tuna and bluefish)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: omega-3 fatty acid, omega-3

History

Etymology

From eicosa- + penta- + -ene + -oic acid.

Across languages

Translations

3 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Finnish: eikosapentaeenihappo — fatty acid
  • Italian: acido eicosapentaenoico — fatty acid
  • Japanese: エイコサペンタエン酸 (eikosapentaen san) — fatty acid