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melamine

[ mel-uh-meen, mel-uh-meen ]
/ ˈmɛl əˌmin, ˌmɛl əˈmin /
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noun Chemistry.
a white, crystalline, slightly water-soluble solid, C3N3(NH2)3, used chiefly in organic synthesis and in the manufacture of resins, especially melamine resins.
any of the melamine resins.
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Origin of melamine

1825–35; <German Melamin, derivative of Melam distillate of ammonium thiocyanate (arbitrary coinage, but -am representing ammonium); see -ine2

Words nearby melamine

mela, melaena, Melaka, melaleuca, melamed, melamine, melamine resin, melammed, Melampus, melan-, melancholia
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use melamine in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for melamine

melamine
/ (ˈmɛləˌmiːn) /
noun
a colourless crystalline compound used in making synthetic resins; 2,4,6-triamino-1,3,5-triazine. Formula: C 3 H 6 N 6
melamine resin or a material made from this resin

Word Origin for melamine

C19: from German Melamin, from Melam distillate of ammonium thiocyanate, with -am representing ammonia
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
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