Retinaldehyde
/ˌrɛtɪnˈældɪhaɪd/noun
A vitamin A-derived aldehyde involved in vision and skin biology.
Did you know?Retinaldehyde changes shape when it absorbs light, helping rhodopsin convert a photon into the first chemical signal of vision.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Indo-European period
Proto-Indo-European
*ret-
“To run or weave, a proposed root associated with net-like structures”
Classical Latin
Latin
rēte
“A net or network”
17th Century
New Latin
retina
“The netlike membrane at the back of the eye”
19th Century
English
aldehyde
“A compound formed by the dehydrogenation of an alcohol; coined from Latin alcohol dehydrogenatus”
20th Century
Biochemistry
retinal
“The aldehyde form of vitamin A, named for its role in the retina”
20th Century
Modern English
retinaldehyde
“A chemical name combining retinal with the functional class aldehyde”
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