acetylcholine

[ uh-seet-l-koh-leen, uh-set- ]

noun

1. Biochemistry. the acetic acid ester of choline, C 7 H 17 NO 3 , released and hydrolyzed during nerve conduction and causing muscle action by transmitting nerve impulses across synapses.
2. Pharmacology. this substance used in its chloride form in eye surgery. : ACh

acetylcholine

/ -lɪn; ˌæsɪtaɪlˈkəʊliːn /

noun

1. a chemical substance secreted at the ends of many nerve fibres, esp in the autonomic nervous system, and responsible for the transmission of nervous impulses. Formula: CH 3 CO 2 (CH 2 ) 2 N (CH 3 ) 3 ⁺

acetylcholine

/ ə-sēt′l-kō′lēn′ /

1. A substance that is released at the junction between neurons and skeletal muscle fibers, at the nerve endings of the parasympathetic nervous system, and across synapses in the central nervous system, where it acts as a neurotransmitter. Chemical formula: C 7 H 16 NO 2 .

Other Words From

• a·ce·tyl·cho·lin·ic [uh, -seet-l-koh-, lin, -ik, uh, -set-], adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of acetylcholine¹

First recorded in 1905–10; acetyl + choline

Example Sentences

It is in my brain and it is at a nerve terminus that the sugar is eventually synthesized to the hormone acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter.

From Nautilus

It inactivates an enzyme which controls the transmission of nerve impulses to muscle, acetylcholine esterase.

From Project Gutenberg