Margarine is a yellow substance made from vegetable oil and animal fats that is similar to butter. You spread it on bread or use it for cooking.
margarine in British English
(ˌmɑːdʒəˈriːn, ˌmɑːɡə-)
noun
a substitute for butter, prepared from vegetable and animal fats by emulsifying them with water and adding small amounts of milk, salt, vitamins, colouring matter, etc
Word origin
C19: from margaric
margarine in American English
(ˈmɑrdʒərɪn)
noun
a spread or cooking fat made of refined vegetable oils (and sometimes rendered animal fat) processed to the consistency of butter, often churned with pasteurized milk, or whey, and generally fortified with vitamins A and D
: also ˈmargarin
Word origin
Fr, from the erroneous notion that margaric acid was contained in all fats and oils