vitamin

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vitamin

/ˈvɪt.ə.mɪn/ UK
/ˈvaɪ.tə.mɪn/ Canada, US
[ˈvʌɪ.ɾə.mɪn] Canada, US
/ˈvɑe.tə.mən/ Australia
[ˈvɑe.ɾə.mən] Australia
/ˈvɨt.ə.mɨn/ General South African
/vaɪ̯ˈt̪aː.mɪn̪/ Philippines
/baɪ̯ˈt̪aː.mɪn̪/ Philippines

Where it comes from

First use appears c. 1920, originally vitamine (1912), from Latin vīta (“life”) (see vital) + amine (see amino acids). Vitamine coined by Polish biochemist Casimir Funk after the initial discovery of aberic acid (thiamine), when it was thought that all such nutrients would be amines. The term had become ubiquitous by the time it was discovered that vitamin C, among others, had no amine component. In 1920, British biochemist Jack Drummond proposed that the final -e be dropped to deemphasize the amine reference. The ending -in was acceptable because it was used for natural substances of undefined composition. Drummond also introduced the lettering system of nomenclature (Vitamin A, B, C, etc.) at this same time.

noun vitamins · vitamine

Any of a specific group of organic compounds essential in small quantities for healthy human growth, metabolism, development, and body function. They are found in minute amounts in plant and animal foods or sometimes produced synthetically, and deficiencies of specific vitamins produce specific disorders. a food rich in vitamins
figuratively, informal preceding a word or its initial letter, to imply that the referent benefits health or wellness Vitamin N: The Essential Guide to a Nature-Rich Life

Similar: vitamin

verb vitamins · vitamining · vitamined · vitamine

dated, transitive To fortify with vitamins.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: vitamine, antihemorrhagic, antineuritic, nutrient, diet, intake, supplementation, nutriment, supplement, nutraceutical, additive, micronutrient, foodstuff, sustenance, nourishment, fortifier

noun

Similar: vitamin

Translations

Every language

noun organic compound essential to human health

Español	vitamina
한국어	비타민 bitamin
日本語	ビタミン bitamin
中文	維生素 /维生素 wéishēngsù, 維他命 /维他命 wéitāmìng
हिन्दी	विटामिन viṭāmin, जीवसत्त्व jīvsattva
Kiswahili	vitamini
Português	vitamina
Français	vitamine
Deutsch	Vitamin
Italiano	vitamina
Ελληνικά	βιταμίνη vitamíni
Română	vitamină
Русский	витами́н vitamín
Tiếng Việt	sinh tố, vi ta min
العربية	فِيتَامِين fitamīn
עברית	וִיטָמִין vitamin

noun (attributive use of the noun)

Español	vitamínico

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MLA

"vitamin." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/vitamin. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

vitamin. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/vitamin

Chicago

"vitamin." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/vitamin.

BibTeX

@misc{vitamin_2026,
  title = {vitamin},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/vitamin},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}