acetylcholine

[ uh-seet-l-koh-leen, uh-set-, as-i-tl- ]

noun
  1. Biochemistry. the acetic acid ester of choline, C7H17NO3, 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. Abbreviation: ACh

Origin of acetylcholine

1
First recorded in 1905–10; acetyl + choline

Other words from acetylcholine

  • a·ce·tyl·cho·lin·ic [uh-seet-l-koh-lin-ik, uh-set-, as-i-tl-], /əˌsit l koʊˈlɪn ɪk, əˌsɛt-, ˌæs ɪ tl-/, adjective

Words Nearby acetylcholine

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How to use acetylcholine in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for acetylcholine

acetylcholine

/ (ˌæsɪtaɪlˈkəʊliːn, -lɪn) /


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 +

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for acetylcholine

acetylcholine

[ ə-sēt′l-kōlēn′ ]


  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: C7H16NO2.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.