amygdalin

[ uh-mig-duh-lin ]

noun

, Chemistry, Pharmacology.

1. a white, bitter-tasting, water-soluble, glycosidic powder, C 20 H 27 NO 11 , usually obtained from bitter almond seeds and the leaves of plants of the genus Prunus and related genera: used chiefly in medicine as an expectorant.

amygdalin

/ əˈmɪɡdəlɪn /

noun

1. a white soluble bitter-tasting crystalline glycoside extracted from bitter almonds and stone fruits such as peaches and apricots. Formula: C 6 H 5 CHCNOC 12 H 21 O 10

Word History and Origins

Origin of amygdalin¹

1645–55; < Latin amygdal ( a ) almond + -in ²

Example Sentences

Over the years, the state Business and Professions Code has been updated to explicitly bar physicians from breaking laws related to human cloning and to the long-discredited cancer treatments laetrile and amygdalin.

From Los Angeles Times

The inside of cherry pits and other drupes like peaches and plums do indeed contain a chemical called amygdalin, which when ingested, is converted to cyanide.

From Salon

According to the National Capital Poison Center, "poisoning can occur when the pit and seed are crushed or chewed before swallowing, releasing the amygdalin. Amygdalin is then converted by the body to cyanide."

From Salon

Apple seeds contain a chemical compound called amygdalin, which creates the poison cyanide when the seeds are crushed and eaten.

From Fox News

They discovered that one of the proteins, bHLH2, held the key to regulating how and when amygdalin is produced.

From Scientific American