acetylation
noun
Simple meaning
The reaction of a substance with acetic acid or one of its derivatives.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
uhseetuhlayshuhnSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
əsitəˈleɪʃən
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
organic chemistry
The reaction of a substance with acetic acid or one of its derivatives; the introduction of one or more acetyl groups into a substance.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C2 · Proficient (estimated)
- Frequency
- Rare
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
This meaning: (organic chemistry) The reaction of a substance with acetic acid or one of its derivatives; the introduction of one or more acetyl groups into a substance.
Like 'acetyl,' 'acetylation' is a very specific scientific term. Native speakers encounter it almost exclusively in chemistry or biology contexts, often relating to chemical synthesis or biological processes like gene regulation. It describes an action, not a substance.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Specialist/technical
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Specialized
- Connotation
- Clinical and technical
- Usage feel
- Technical and specialized
Where you'll really hear it
Biochemistry lecture
“Histone acetylation plays a crucial role in gene expression regulation.”
Organic synthesis lab
“We performed an acetylation reaction to synthesize aspirin.”
Scientific journal
“The paper discusses protein acetylation in cellular signaling pathways.”
Where it naturally appears
- Science
- Academic writing
- Technical/specialist writing
Usage note
In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use acetylation
- “The acetylation of cyclooxygenase-2 by aspirin.”noun
Share your sentence
Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Use This Word
See how this word sounds in a real sentence.
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Knowing “acetylation” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.