Triglycerides

Etymology

A chemical compound name: "tri-" (Greek, three) plus "glyceride," a compound of glycerol (from Greek "glykys," sweet) with fatty acids. The name is literally descriptive — three fatty-acid chains attached to one glycerol backbone.

noun · /try-GLIS-er-ydz/
The main type of fat in the body and in food, made of a glycerol molecule bound to three fatty acids and used chiefly for energy storage.
What it names
The body's principal storage fat, a blood measure distinct from cholesterol that doctors track for heart risk.
Example
Her cholesterol was fine, but high triglycerides from a sugary diet still worried the doctor.
Related idea
Often lumped together with cholesterol as “blood fats,” but they are different molecules doing different jobs: triglycerides store and supply energy, while cholesterol is a waxy sterol used to build cell membranes and hormones. Both are lipids a blood panel reports separately.