Glucosamine
/ˌɡluːkoʊˈsæmiːn/noun
An amino sugar found in connective tissues and used in some supplements for joint health.
Did you know?Glucosamine is an amino sugar: chemically, it resembles glucose but has one hydroxyl group replaced by an amino group, helping form cartilage-related molecules.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*dl̥kús
“Sweet; the reconstructed ancestor behind later Greek words for sweetness”
Ancient Greek
Greek
γλυκύς (glukús)
“Sweet”
Ancient Greek
Greek
γλεῦκος (gleûkos)
“Sweet wine or must; the source of the glucose family”
19th Century
French
glucose
“A sugar, coined from Greek gleukos with a chemical suffix”
19th Century
English
amine
“A nitrogen-containing organic compound; formed from ammonia with the chemical suffix -ine”
1870s
German
Glukosamin
“A sugar-related amino compound, named after glucose and amine”
Modern English
English
glucosamine
“An amino sugar occurring naturally in the body, especially in connective-tissue chemistry”