choline

[ koh-leen, kol-een ]

noun
  1. Biochemistry. a quaternary ammonium cation, C5H14N+O, one of the B-complex vitamins, found in the lecithin of many plants and animals.

  2. choline hydroxide, C5H15NO2, the viscous, strongly alkaline commercial form of this compound, usually synthesized, used as a feed supplement, especially for poultry, and in medicine in certain liver conditions.

  1. choline chloride, C5H14ClNO.

Origin of choline

1
First recorded in 1855–60; chol- + -ine2

Words Nearby choline

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use choline in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for choline

choline

/ (ˈkəʊliːn, -ɪn, ˈkɒl-) /


noun
  1. a colourless viscous soluble alkaline substance present in animal tissues, esp as a constituent of lecithin: used as a supplement to the diet of poultry and in medicine for preventing the accumulation of fat in the liver. Formula:[(CH 3) 3 NCH 2 CH 2 OH] + OH

Origin of choline

1
C19: from chole- + -ine ², so called because of its action in the liver

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for choline

choline

[ lēn′ ]


  1. A natural amine often classed in the vitamin B complex. It is incorporated into the structure of many other biologically important molecules, such as acetylcholine and lecithin. Chemical formula: C5H15NO2.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.