sphingosine

[ sfing-guh-seen, -sin ]
nounBiochemistry.

  1. a basic unsaturated amino alcohol, C18H33(OH)2NH2, produced by the hydrolysis of sphingomyelin or gangliosides.

Origin of sphingosine

1
1881; earlier sphingosin, equivalent to sphingo-, combining form representing Greek sphínxsphinx + intrusive -s- + -in2; so called in allusion to the enigmas it posed for its discoverer

Words Nearby sphingosine

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for sphingosine

sphingosine

/ (ˈsfɪŋɡəsɪn, -ˌsiːn) /

noun

  1. biochem a long-chain compound occurring in sphingomyelins and cerebrosides, and from which it can be released by hydrolysis. Formula: CH 3 (CH 2) 12 CH:CHCH(OH)CH(NH 2)CH 2 OH

Origin of sphingosine

1
from sphingos-, from Greek sphingein to hold fast + -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

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