Margarine Meaning
/ˌmɑː.d͡ʒəˈɹiːn/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounA spread, manufactured from a blend of vegetable oils (some of which are hydrogenated), emulsifiers etc, mostly used as a substitute for butter.
nounThe solid ingredient of human fat, olive oil, etc.
Sentence Examples
We substitute margarine for butter.
You can use margarine as a substitute for butter.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
She used a vegetable oil-based spread called ____ instead of butter on her toast.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Some people prefer to use ____ instead of butter in their cooking and baking for various health reasons.
Word Origin & History
Borrowed from French margarine, from acide margarique (“margaric acid”), from Ancient Greek μάργαρον (márgaron, “pearl”), in allusion to its pearly lustre, with the suffix -ine, influenced by glycérine (“glycerine”). French chemist Michel Eugène Chevreul named margaric acid after its pearl-like crystallization.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Putting the finishing touches on her party dinner, this attractive hostess does the last minute job of margarining her rolls to serve piping hot to her guests."
— 1952 May 15, “Pretty Hostess Adds Finishing Touch”, in C[harles] L[ee] Blanton, Jr., editor, Daily Sikeston Standard, volume 40, number 200, Sikeston, Mo.: Sikeston Publishing Company, →OCLC, page 2, column 2:
"She is margarining a slice of bread, rubbing the grease carefully into the crumb."
— 1993, Helen Dunmore, chapter 16, in Zennor in Darkness, London: Penguin Books, published 1994, →ISBN, page 190:
"Now that she was back in the land of the living, she took to margarining our toast again."
— 1998, Andrea Ashworth, chapter 9, in Once in a House on Fire, London: Picador, →ISBN, page 135:
"He has been totally occupied since we sat down, margarining every inch of his roll, likewise his baked potato, salting down everything in sight."
— 2014, Judith Felsenfeld, “The Fugitive”, in Blaustein’s Kiss: Stories, Rhinebeck, N.Y.: Epigraph Publishing Service, →ISBN, pages 123–124:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
She used a vegetable oil-based spread called ____ instead of butter on her toast.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Some people prefer to use ____ instead of butter in their cooking and baking for various health reasons.