noun
margarine
mah-juh-REEN
noun
1
A spread made mainly from vegetable oils, used as a substitute for butter.
"She swapped butter for margarine to cut down on saturated fat."
"The recipe calls for a stick of margarine, softened."
How to Use Margarine
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA butter substitute made from plant oils.
UK vs US
Often shortened informally to "marge" in British English; the shortened form is rarely used in American English.
Common pairings
a tub of margarine
margarine or butter
Word Forms
margarined past tense, margarines plural, margarines singular
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Etymology
From French margarine, named after margaric acid, itself from Ancient Greek márgaron ("pearl") because of the substance's pearly sheen — coined by French chemist Michel Eugène Chevreul.