hypoxanthine

American

[hahy-puh-zan-theen, -thin] / ˌhaɪ pəˈzæn θin, -θɪn /

noun

a white, crystalline, almost water-soluble, alkaloidal purine derivative, C 5 H 4 N 4 O, found in animal and vegetable tissues: used chiefly in biochemical research.

hypoxanthine British

/ ˌhaɪpəˈzænθiːn, -θɪn /

noun

a white or colourless crystalline compound that is a breakdown product of nucleoproteins. Formula: C 5 H 4 N 4 O

"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

Other Word Forms

hypoxanthic

adjective

Etymology

Origin of hypoxanthine

First recorded in 1835–45; hypo- + xanthine

Example Sentences

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See Examples For:

hypoxanthine

Xanthine and hypoxanthine occur in animal urine, and also in the tissues of both plants and animals.

From The Chemistry of Plant Life by Roscoe Wilfred Thatcher

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