algin

American

[al-jin] / ˈæl dʒɪn /

noun

Chemistry.

any hydrophilic, colloidal substance found in or obtained from various kelps, as alginic acid or one of its soluble salts.

algin British

/ ˈældʒɪn /

noun

alginic acid or one of its esters or salts, esp the gelatinous solution obtained as a by-product in the extraction of iodine from seaweed, used in mucilages and for thickening jellies

"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

algin Scientific

/ ăl′jĭn /

A mucilaginous polysaccharide occurring in the cell walls of brown algae. Its derivatives are widely used as thickening, stabilizing, emulsifying, or suspending agents in industrial, pharmaceutical, and food products, such as ice cream.

Etymology

Origin of algin

First recorded in 1880–85; alg(ae) + -in ²

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023