Xanthine
/ˈzæn.θiːn/noun
A yellow crystalline compound found in urine, tissues, and certain plants, and a parent substance in the purine family.
Did you know?Its name comes from Greek xanthos, “yellow,” because the first samples were identified by their yellowish appearance, and that same root also gives us the myth-soaked word Xanthus.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
GRK
ξανθός (xanthos)
“yellow, blond, golden”
19th Century
German
Xanthin
“a yellow crystalline substance isolated from bodily and plant materials”
Late 19th Century
French
xanthine
“chemical term adopted in modern scientific Latin/French usage”
Modern English
English
xanthine
“the modern chemical name for a purine derivative”
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