carnitine

[kahr-ni-teen]

noun Biochemistry.

a dipolar compound that occurs in muscle and liver and is involved in the transport of fatty acids across the inner mitochondrial membrane.

Origin of carnitine

1920–25; < German Carnitin, equivalent to Latin carni- (combining form of carō, genitive carnis meat, flesh) + -tin apparently arbitrarily chosen suffix (cf. -in², -ine²); so called because it was first isolated in meat extract

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Medicine definitions for carnitine

carnitine

[kär′nĭ-tēn′]

n.

A betaine commonly occurring in the liver and in skeletal muscle that functions in the transport of fatty acids across mitochondrial membranes.

Science definitions for carnitine

carnitine

[kär′nĭ-tēn′]

A betaine commonly occurring in the liver and in skeletal muscle that is essential for fatty acid transport across mitochondrial membranes. Chemical formula: C7H15NO3.