Where does the name ‘aliphatic’ come from?

Generally, carbons and the hydrogens bonded to them are classified as one of the following:


* aromatic
* olefinic
* aliphatic
* (something for triple bonds I don’t know)


The meaning of *aromatic* is rather clear to anybody: They belong to *aromatic* systems (even though the Hückel rule has nothing to do with a certain type of smell). *Olefinic* is also clear enough: Olefins were originally those gases which could generate an oily substance by reaction with e.g. chlorine ($\ce{C2H4 + Cl2 -> C2Cl2H4}$; the latter being 1,2-dichloroethane); the name *olefin* derives from French *gaz oléfiant* — oil-creating gas.


But I have no clue where the adjective *aliphatic* or the noun *aliphat* derive from, which are applied to saturated carbons. What was its original meaning and why do we use it?




**Olefins** are hydrocarbons that contain at least a double bond. The term is used —sometimes misleadingly— interchangeably with **alkenes**.



> 
> Although the nomenclature is not followed widely, according to IUPAC, alkenes are acyclic hydrocarbons with one double bond between carbon centers. Olefins comprise a larger collection of cyclic and acyclic alkenes as well as di- and polyenes. — [Alkene nomenclature – Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alkene#Nomenclature)
> 
> 
> 


[The Goldbook page Wikipedia cites](http://goldbook.iupac.org/O04281.html) says the final words:



> 
> Olefins
> -------
> 
> 
> Acyclic and cyclic hydrocarbons having one or more carbon–carbon double bonds, apart from the formal ones in aromatic compounds. The class olefins subsumes alkenes and cycloalkenes and the corresponding polyenes.
> 
> 
> 


While Oxford dictionary [seems to agree](http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/olefin) with the origin thingy:



> 
> Origin
> ------
> 
> 
> Mid 19th century: from French oléfiant 'oil-forming' (with reference to oily ethylene dichloride).
> 
> 
> 


Funny thing is, "aliphatic" also means "producing fats". [Goldbook says](http://goldbook.iupac.org/A00217.html):



> 
> aliphatic compounds
> -------------------
> 
> 
> Acyclic or cyclic, saturated or unsaturated carbon compounds, excluding aromatic compounds.
> 
> 
> 


Some definitions exclude [alicyclic](http://goldbook.iupac.org/A00216.html) compounds from the list of aliphatic compounds, but IUPAC doesn't agree, so. Note that **aliphatic compounds** can be saturated *or* unsaturated.


So, back the main answer part,



> 
> Aliphatic; Etymology
> --------------------
> 
> 
> From Ancient Greek ἄλειφαρ ‎(áleiphar, “oil, ointment”). — [Wiktionary](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/aliphatic#Etymology)
> 
> 
> 


There are literally no articles on the Net speaking of the first discovered or documented aliphatic compounds, but I read in some textbook somewhere which mentioned that **since these compounds were first referred to as what animal fats used in [primitive](http://www.hollowtop.com/spt_html/lighting.htm) or medieval lamps were consisted of, they're referred to as *"aliphatic"***.


The only thing about a "first aliphatic" I could find is mentioning "Muconic acid is the first aliphatic compound formed as a result of aromatic ring splitting, which is further oxidized to fumaric acid and then participates in the cell metabolism as a standard endogenous substrate." by [this paper](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=6&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CDMQFjAFahUKEwjfy7TYtZDJAhXBFw8KHWKsAR8&url=http%3A%2F%2Fjeab.scienceresearchlibrary.com%2Fdownload.php%3Fid%3DNTg%3D&usg=AFQjCNEOnadP-P05njY5LlLljYBRHe_dcg&sig2=2WY88qo6U_Xik0QjZGBfgg&bvm=bv.107467506,d.ZWU).


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