beta-oxidation: Meaning and Definition of

be•ta-ox•i•da•tion

Pronunciation: (bā'tu-ok"si-dā'shun or, esp. Brit., bē'-), [key]
— n. Biochem.
  1. a process by which fatty acids are degraded, involving oxidation of the beta carbons and removal of successive two-carbon fragments from the fatty acid.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.