• Vitamin

    Pronunciation

    • UK IPA: /ˈvɪt.É™.mɪn/
    Merriam Webster OnlineCambridge Dictionaries Online
    • Australia IPA: /ˈvÉ‘et.É™.mÉ™n/

    Origin

    1920, originally vitamine (1912), from Latin vīta ("life") (see vital) + amine (see amino acids). Vitamine coined by Polish biochemist Casimir Funk after the initial discovery of aberic acid (Thiamine), when it was thought that all such nutrients would be .

    Dictionary.com

    The term had become ubiquitous by the time it was discovered that vitamin C, among others, had no amine component. In 1920, British biochemist Jack Drummond proposed that the final -e be dropped to deemphasize the amine reference. The ending -in was acceptable because it was used for neutral substances of undefined composition. Drummond also introduced the lettering system of nomenclature (Vitamin A, B, C, etc.) at this same time.

    Full definition of vitamin

    Noun

    vitamin

    (plural vitamins)
    1. Any of a specific group of organic compounds essential in small quantities for healthy human growth, metabolism, development, and body function; found in minute amounts in plant and animal foods or sometimes produced synthetically; deficiencies of specific vitamins produce specific disorders.

    Hyponyms

    Derived terms

    terms derived from "vitamin"c, vitamin B1|vitamin B1, vitamin B2|vitamin B2, vitamin B3|vitamin B3, vitamin B4|vitamin B4, vitamin B5|vitamin B5, vitamin B6|vitamin B6, vitamin B7|vitamin B7, vitamin B9|vitamin B9, vitamin B12|vitamin B12, vitamin B17|vitamin B171, vitamin D2|vitamin D2, vitamin D3|vitamin D3, vitamin D4|vitamin D4, vitamin D5|vitamin D51, vitamin K2|vitamin K2
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