vitamin

English Online Dictionary. What means vitamin‎? What does vitamin mean?

English

Etymology

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 amines. 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 natural substances of undefined composition. Drummond also introduced the lettering system of nomenclature (Vitamin A, B, C, etc.) at this same time.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈvɪt.ə.mɪn/,
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈvaɪ.tə.mɪn/, [ˈvʌɪ.ɾə.mɪn]
• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /ˈvɑɪ.tə.mən/, [ˈvɑɪ.ɾə.mən]
• (General South African) IPA^(key): /ˈvɨt.ə.mɨn/

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.

2. (informal, figurative) preceding a word or its initial letter, to imply that the referent benefits health or wellness

Hyponyms

• See also Thesaurus:vitamin

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

vitamin (third-person singular simple present vitamins, present participle vitamining, simple past and past participle vitamined)

1. (transitive, dated) To fortify with vitamins.

See also

• vitamer

References

Crimean Tatar

Etymology

French vitamine.

Noun

vitamin

1. vitamin

Declension

References

• “vitamin”, in Luğatçıq (in Russian)

Danish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /vitamiːn/, [vitˢaˈmiːˀn]

Noun

vitamin n (singular definite vitaminet, plural indefinite vitaminer)

1. vitamin

Declension

Related terms

• A-vitamin, B-vitamin, C-vitamin, D-vitamin, E-vitamin, K-vitamin
• multivitamin
• provitamin
• vitaminholdig
• vitaminisere

Further reading

• “vitamin” in Den Danske Ordbog
• vitamin on the Danish Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^da

Hungarian

Etymology

From English vitamin.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈvitɒmin]
• Hyphenation: vi‧ta‧min
• Rhymes: -in

Noun

vitamin (plural vitaminok)

1. vitamin

Declension

Derived terms

• vitaminos

References

Further reading

• vitamin in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh. A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (“The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language”, abbr.: ÉrtSz.). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN

Indonesian

Etymology

From English vitamin, earlier vitamine, from Latin vīta (“life”) (see vital) + amine.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [viˈtamɪn]
• Hyphenation: vi‧ta‧min

Noun

vitamin (uncountable)

1. vitamin: 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.

Further reading

• “vitamin” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.

Japanese

Romanization

vitamin

1. Rōmaji transcription of ヴィタミン
2. Rōmaji transcription of ヸタミン

Malay

Etymology

From English vitamin, earlier vitamine, from Latin vīta (“life”) (see vital) + amine.

Noun

vitamin (Jawi spelling ۏيتامين, plural vitamin-vitamin, informal 1st possessive vitaminku, 2nd possessive vitaminmu, 3rd possessive vitaminnya)

1. vitamin: 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.

Further reading

• “vitamin” in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu | Malay Literary Reference Centre, Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017.

Norwegian Bokmål

Noun

vitamin n (definite singular vitaminet, indefinite plural vitamin or vitaminer, definite plural vitamina or vitaminene)

1. a vitamin

References

• “vitamin” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Noun

vitamin n (definite singular vitaminet, indefinite plural vitamin, definite plural vitamina)

1. a vitamin

References

• “vitamin” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Turkish

Etymology

From Ottoman Turkish ویتامین (vitamin), from French vitamine, from English vitamin.

Noun

vitamin (definite accusative vitamini, plural vitaminler)

1. vitamin

Declension

Derived terms