betaine
[bee-tuh-een, -in; bih-tey-een, -in]
- a colorless, crystalline, water-soluble, sweet-tasting alkaloid, C5H11NO2, usually obtained from sugar beets or synthesized from glycine, used chiefly in medicine.
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Also be·ta·in [bee-tuh-in, bih-tey-] /ˈbi tə ɪn, bɪˈteɪ-/.
Origin of betaine
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for betaine
Historical Examples
A hydrochlorate, a sulphate, an aurochloride, and a platinic chloride of betaine have been prepared.
Betaine and choline often occur together in the germs of many plants.
The Chemistry of Plant LifeRoscoe Wilfred Thatcher
It is a product of the decomposition of choline, betaine, and neuridine, when these substances are distilled with potash.
Poisons: Their Effects and DetectionAlexander Wynter Blyth
betaine
- a sweet-tasting alkaloid that occurs in the sugar beet and other plants and in animals. Formula: C 5 H 11 NO 2
- (plural) a group of chemical compounds that resemble betaine and are slightly basic zwitterions
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Word Origin
C19: from New Latin Bēta beet + -ine ²
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
betaine
(bē′tə-ēn′, -ĭn)- A sweet crystalline alkaloid found in sugar beets and other plants, used to treat homocystinuria and other disorders.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
betaine
[bē′tə-ēn′, -ĭn]
- Any of a class of organic salts that are derived from amino acids and have a cationic (positively charged) component that consists of a nitrogen atom attached to three methyl (CH3) groups.
- A salt of this class that is a sweet crystalline alkaloid first found in sugar beets but also widely occurring in other plants and in animals. Betaine is used in the treatment of muscular weakness and degeneration. Chemical formula: C5H11NO2.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.