Etymology:
< French lécithine (N. T. Gobley 1850, in Jrnl. de Pharm. et de Chim. XVII. 411), < Greek λέκιθος yolk of egg
Chem.
a.
Any of a group of phospholipids found in plants and animals which are
esters of a phosphatidic acid with choline and on hydrolysis yield
choline, phosphoric acid, glycerol, and two fatty acids; also used as a
generic name for these compounds.
b.
A commercial mixture of lecithin with other phosphatides and often
other lipids obtained from natural products and used industrially, esp.
that from soya beans. (OED)
i.e., phosphatidylcholine,
phosphatidylethanolamine,
(PubChem)
etc.
"Physical chemical studies of short-chain lecithin homologues. I. Influence of the chain length of the fatty acid ester and of electrolytes on the critical micelle concentration", Tausk et al., Biophysical Chemistry 1:175 (1973)
I guess these days we'd just say "phospholipids"? Not quite sure what the significance of the choline part of the molecule is that it deserves its own term.
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