Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Propionic \Pro`pi*on"ic\, a. [Proto- + Gr. pi`wn fat.] (Chem.)
   Pertaining to, derived from, or designating, an organic acid
   which is produced in the distillation of wood, in the
   fermentation of various organic substances, as glycerin,
   calcium lactate, etc., and is obtained as a colorless liquid
   having a sharp, pungent odor. Propionic acid is so called
   because it is the first or lowest member of the fatty acid
   series whose salts have a fatty feel.