BharatNotes Saponification
nounUsage in a UPSC answer
Just as saponification transforms crude fats into a useful cleansing agent through the action of a single catalytic alkali, well-designed institutional reform can convert latent administrative inefficiencies into instruments of public welfare, provided the reagent of political will is applied consistently.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Word Family
saponify (v), saponified (adj), saponifiable (adj), saponifier (n)
Root
Modern Latin saponificāre = to make soap; sapon- = soap (Latin sapo); -ficāre = to make (from Latin facere); -ation = process
Etymology
From French saponification, from Modern Latin saponificāre, combining sapon (soap) + -ficāre (to make, from Latin facere); first recorded in English in 1801.
Memory Hook
Latin "sapo" = soap (think of "soap" hidden in SAPOnification); the reaction literally makes soap from fat.
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