n. [ Cf. F. margarine. See Margarite. ] (Physiol. Chem.) A fatty substance, extracted from animal fats and certain vegetable oils, formerly supposed to be a definite compound of glycerin and margaric acid, but now known to be simply a mixture or combination of tristearin and tripalmitin. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F.; see margarin. ] 1. A processed food product used as an inexpensive substitute for butter, made primarily from refined vegetable oils, sometimes including animal fats, and churned with skim milk to form a semisolid emulsion; also called oleomargarine; artificial butter. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. +PJC ]

The word margarine shall mean all substances, whether compounds or otherwise, prepared in imitation of butter, and whether mixed with butter or not. Margarine Act, 1887 (50 & 51 Vict. c. 29). [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

2. Margarin. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. [ L. oleum oil + E. margarine, margarin. ] [ Written also oleomargarin. ] 1. A liquid oil made from animal fats (esp. beef fat) by separating the greater portion of the solid fat or stearin, by crystallization. It is mainly a mixture of olein and palmitin with some little stearin. [ archaic ] [ 1913 Webster ]

2. An artificial butter made by emulsifying a fatty oil with more or less milk and water; it was formerly made predominantly from animal fats, but now is made predominantly or exclusively from vegetable oils, sometimes mixed with animal fats. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

☞ Oleomargarine was wrongly so named, as it contains no margarin proper, but olein, palmitin, and stearin, a mixture of palmitin and stearin having formerly been called margarin by mistake. [ 1913 Webster ]