creatine

[ kree-uh-teen, -tin ]

/ ˈkri əˌtin, -tɪn /

noun Biochemistry.

an amino acid, C4H9N3O2, that is a constituent of the muscles of vertebrates and is phosphorylated to store energy used for muscular contraction.

Nearby words

Origin of creatine

1830–40; creat- (< Greek kreat-, stem of kréas) flesh + -ine²

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

Examples from the Web for creatine

Creatine and creatinine also seem to lessen in amount, but of the extent of this change I am not as yet fully informed.
Fat and Blood|S. Weir Mitchell
In vertebrates, the basis for the phosphoric acid is creatine, whereas invertebrates have arginine instead.
Smithsonian Institution - United States National Museum - Bulletin 240|Anonymous

British Dictionary definitions for creatine

creatine

creatin (ˈkriːətɪn)

/ (ˈkriːəˌtiːn, -tɪn) /

noun

an important metabolite involved in many biochemical reactions and present in many types of living cells

Word Origin for creatine

C19: creat- from Greek kreas flesh + -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

Word Origin and History for creatine

creatine

1834, from French creatine, from Greek kreas "flesh, meat" (see raw) + chemical suffix -ine (2). Organic base discovered by French physicist Michel-Eugène Chevreul (1786-1889) in the juice of flesh and named by him.

Medicine definitions for creatine

creatine

[ krē′ə-tēn′, -tĭn ]

n.

A nitrogenous organic acid that is found in the muscle tissue of vertebrates mainly in the form of phosphocreatine and supplies energy for muscle contraction.

Science definitions for creatine

creatine

[ krē′ə-tēn′, -tĭn ]

A nitrogenous organic acid that is found in the muscle tissue of vertebrates, mainly combined with phosphorus, and that supplies energy for muscle contraction. Chemical formula: C4H9N3O2.