sparteine

American

[spahr-tee-een, -in] / ˈspɑr tiˌin, -ɪn /

noun

a bitter, poisonous, liquid alkaloid obtained from certain species of broom, especially Cytisus scoparius, used in medicine to stimulate the heart and also the uterine muscles in childbirth.

sparteine British

/ -ɪn, ˈspɑːtɪˌiːn /

noun

a viscous oily alkaloid extracted from the broom plant and lupin seeds. It has been used in medicine to treat heart arrhythmias

"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

Etymology

Origin of sparteine

1850–55; irregular < New Latin Sparti ( um ) name of a genus of broom (< Greek spárt ( os ) kind of broom + New Latin -ium -ium ) + -ine ¹

Example Sentences

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They contain chemically an acid principle, "scoparin," and an alkaloid, "sparteine."

From Project Gutenberg

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