valeric acidEnglishOxford Dictionary of Englishvaleric acid /vəˌlɛrɪk ˈasɪd , vəˌlɪərɪk ˈasɪd / ▸ noun Chemistry another term for pentanoic acid – DERIVATIVES valerate /ˈvaləreɪt , ˈvalərət / noun– ORIGIN mid 19th century: valeric from valerian + -ic.