betaine

[ bee-tuh-een, -in; bih-tey-een, -in ]

noun

, Chemistry, Pharmacology.

1. a colorless, crystalline, water-soluble, sweet-tasting alkaloid, C 5 H 11 NO 2 , usually obtained from sugar beets or synthesized from glycine, used chiefly in medicine.

betaine

/ -ɪn; -ɪn; ˈbiːtəˌiːn; bɪˈteɪiːn /

noun

1. a sweet-tasting alkaloid that occurs in the sugar beet and other plants and in animals. Formula: C 5 H 11 NO 2
2. plural a group of chemical compounds that resemble betaine and are slightly basic zwitterions

betaine

/ bē′tə-ēn′,-ĭn /

1. Any of a class of organic salts that are derived from amino acids and have a cationic (positively charged) component that consists of a nitrogen atom attached to three methyl (CH 3 ) groups.
2. A salt of this class that is a sweet crystalline alkaloid first found in sugar beets but also widely occurring in other plants and in animals. Betaine is used in the treatment of muscular weakness and degeneration. Chemical formula: C 5 H 11 NO 2 .

Word History and Origins

Origin of betaine¹

1875–80; < Latin bēta beet + -ine ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of betaine¹

C19: from New Latin Bēta beet + -ine ²

Example Sentences

A hydrochlorate, a sulphate, an aurochloride, and a platinic chloride of betaine have been prepared.

From Project Gutenberg

It is a product of the decomposition of choline, betaine, and neuridine, when these substances are distilled with potash.

From Project Gutenberg

Betaine and choline often occur together in the germs of many plants.

From Project Gutenberg