vitamin

[ vahy-tuh-min; British also vit-uh-min ]

noun

1. any of a group of organic substances essential in small quantities to normal metabolism, found in minute amounts in natural foodstuffs or sometimes produced synthetically: deficiencies of vitamins produce specific disorders.

vitamin

/ ˈvɪtəmɪn; ˈvaɪ- /

noun

1. any of a group of substances that are essential, in small quantities, for the normal functioning of metabolism in the body. They cannot usually be synthesized in the body but they occur naturally in certain foods: insufficient supply of any particular vitamin results in a deficiency disease

vitamin

/ vī′tə-mĭn /

1. Any of various organic compounds that are needed in small amounts for normal growth and activity of the body. Most vitamins cannot be synthesized by the body, but are found naturally in foods obtained from plants and animals. Vitamins are either water-soluble or fat-soluble. Most water-soluble vitamins, such as the vitamin B complex, act as catalysts and coenzymes in metabolic processes and energy transfer and are excreted fairly rapidly. Fat-soluble vitamins, such as vitamins A, D, and E are necessary for the function or structural integrity of specific body tissues and membranes and are retained in the body.

Derived Forms

• ˌvitaˈminic, adjective

Other Words From

• vita·minic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of vitamin¹

1912; earlier vitamine < Latin vīt ( a ) life + amine; coined by C. Funk, who thought they were amines

Word History and Origins

Origin of vitamin¹

C20: vit- from Latin vīta life + -amin from amine ; so named by Casimir Funk , who believed the substances to be amines

A Closer Look

Although it has been known for thousands of years that certain diseases can be treated with specific foods, the scientific link between vitamins and good health wasn't made until the early 1900s by Polish-born American biochemist Casimir Funk. While studying beriberi, a disease that causes depression, fatigue, and nerve damage, Funk discovered an organic compound in rice husks that prevents the illness. He named the compound vitamine, derived from the chemical name amine and the Latin word vita , "life," because vitamins are required for life and were originally thought to be amines. Funk's compound is now known as vitamin B 1 , or thiamine. His research and discovery led him, along with English biochemist Sir Frederick Gowland Hopkins, to propose the vitamin hypothesis of deficiency, which stated that certain diseases, such as scurvy or rickets, are caused by dietary deficiencies and can be avoided by taking vitamins. Further research allowed scientists to isolate and identify the vitamins that we know today to be essential for human health. Vitamins include A, C, D, E, K, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, B 6 , B 12 , folic acid, biotin, and pantothenic acid. Vitamins are distinguished from minerals, such as calcium, iron, and magnesium, which are also essential for optimum health.

Example Sentences

This LifeFuels bottle infuses your water with vitamins and nutrients that promote energy and wellness.

From Popular-Science

Whichever plants and critters you include, you should expect the broth to contain fat, protein, calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, manganese, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, folate, potassium, selenium, copper, zinc, and much more.

From Popular-Science

Recall that plants expend a substantial amount of energy to make their exudate brews of sugars, vitamins, organic acids, and phytochemicals.

From Nautilus

Ginger, for example, is made up of over 700 individual compounds, most of which do not mimic compounds found in the human body, as vitamins do.

From Fortune

The disparity may be due to several factors, including lower levels of vitamin D in BAME groups.

From No Straight News

I take calcium and vitamin D supplements, but prescription medications are generally only for women in menopause.

From The Daily Beast

This at-home blood test kit gives a full reading of antioxidant, fatty acid, or vitamin panels.

From The Daily Beast

The irony in it all is that our bodies need, if not crave, Vitamin D—and more than a chewable tablet.

From The Daily Beast

The summertime staple is also a good source of potassium, vitamin A and vitamin C. 2.

From The Daily Beast

At 96 percent water, cukes have no saturated fat or cholesterol, and are very high in vitamin K, vitamin B6 and iron.

From The Daily Beast

They carefully devised vitamin-free, protein-free, mineral-free diets that tasted like library paste and smelled worse.

From Project Gutenberg

Digestibility, as well as protein, mineral and vitamin requirements, must also be considered.

From Project Gutenberg

Vitamin B complex, vitamin C—and, finally, half a dozen highly questionable contraceptive pills?

From Project Gutenberg

The essential element of foods is the vitamin, a nitrogenous substance of indeterminate nature.

From Project Gutenberg

Moreover, he had isolated a vitamin in this protein not found in any of man's present foods.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• fiber
• food
• mineral