A fat that contains no carbon-carbon double bonds. These fats are solid at room temperature and are most often found in or extracted from animal flesh and milk. Saturated fats include butter, lard, solid vegetable shortening, palm oil, and coconut oil. There is evidence that consuming these fats tends to raise the level of cholesterol in the blood.
From the BioTech Dictionary at http://biotech.icmb.utexas.edu/. For further information see the BioTech homenode.