lau·ric acid (lôr??k, l?r?-)n. A white solid fatty acid, C12H24O2, obtained chiefly from coconut and laurel oils and used in making soaps, cosmetics, esters, and lauryl alcohol.[Latin laurus, laurel + -ic.]American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.lauric acid (?l??r?k; ?l?-) n (Elements & Compounds) another name for dodecanoic acid[C19: from Latin laurus laurel; from its occurrence in the berries of the laurel (Laurus nobilis)]Collins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014lau?ric ac?id (?l?r ?k, ?l?r-) n. a white, crystalline, fatty acid, C12H24O2, occurring in many vegetable fats, esp. coconut oil. [1870?75;