Standard Lemma guide

squalene

noun · 1 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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  • /ˈskweɪliːn/
  • /ˈskwɑːliːn/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -eɪlin

1

noun

Meaning 1

A linear triterpene hydrocarbon found in shark liver oil and in human sebum; it plays a role in the biosynthesis of steroids.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

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

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Latin squālus (“shark”) + -ene, because it is found in shark liver.

Across languages

Translations

14 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Catalan: esqualè — triterpene hydrocarbon
  • Chinese Mandarin: 鯊烯 /鲨烯 (shāxī) — triterpene hydrocarbon
  • Chinese Mandarin: 角鯊烯 /角鲨烯 (jiǎoshāxī) — triterpene hydrocarbon
  • Dutch: squaleen — triterpene hydrocarbon
  • Finnish: skvaleeni — triterpene hydrocarbon
  • French: squalène — triterpene hydrocarbon
  • German: Squalen — triterpene hydrocarbon
  • Italian: squalene — triterpene hydrocarbon
  • Japanese: スクアレン (sukuaren) — triterpene hydrocarbon
  • Kazakh: сквален (skvalen) — triterpene hydrocarbon
  • Kyrgyz: сквален (skvalen) — triterpene hydrocarbon
  • Persian: اسکوآلن — triterpene hydrocarbon
  • Spanish: esqualene — triterpene hydrocarbon
  • Swedish: skvalen — triterpene hydrocarbon