cholesterol

n. fatty substance present in the blood and in certain foods (excess amount can cause a hardening of the arteries)

Cholesterol is a sterol (a combination steroid and alcohol), a lipid found in the cell membranes of all tissues, and is transported in the blood plasma of all animals. Because cholesterol is synthesized by all eukaryotes, trace amounts of cholesterol are also found in membranes of plants and fungi.The name originates from the Greek chole- (bile) and stereos (solid), and the chemical suffix -ol for an alcohol, as researchers first identified cholesterol in solid form in gallstones by François Poulletier de la Salle in 1769. However, it is only in 1815 that chemist Eugène Chevreul named the compound "cholesterine".
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Cholesterol /cho·les·ter·ol/ a eukaryotic sterol that in higher animals is the precursor of bile acids and steroid hormones and a key constituent of [more]Cholesterol - Community and Resources

Noun
1. an animal sterol that is normally synthesized by the liver; the most abundant steroid in animal tissues
(synonym) cholesterin
(hypernym) sterol, steroid alcohol
(hyponym) HDL cholesterol

n. cholesterol, fatty substance present in the blood and in certain foods