English Explanatory Dictionary

betaine

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A sweet, crystalline compound (not an alkaloid), trimethylammoniumacetate, found in sugar beet and similar plants, sometimes used to treat muscular degeneracy; the zwitterion (CH₃)₃N⁺CH₂COO⁻
  2. Any derivative of this compound.
  3. Any similar compound, based on sulfur or phosphorus etc, having an onium ion with no hydrogen atom adjacent to the anionic atom.

Word forms

betaine betaines

Etymology

Etymology tree Latin bēta Proto-Indo-European *-nós Proto-Indo-European *-iHnos Proto-Italic *-īnos Latin -īnusder. Old French -inbor. Middle English -in English -ine English betaine From New Latin, from Latin bēta (“beet”) + -ine.

Derived words

arsenobetaine cocamidopropyl betaine polybetaine sulfobetaine
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