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oleomargarine

1. A liquid oil made from animal fats (especially. 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.

2. An artificial butter made by churning this oil with more or less milk.

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.

Origin: L. Oleum oil _ E. Margarine, margarin

Alternative forms: oleomargarin.