coumarin

American  

[koo-muh-rin] / ˈku mə rɪn /

Or cumarin

noun

1. a fragrant crystalline substance, C 9 H 6 O 2 , obtained from the tonka bean, sweet clover, and certain other plants or prepared synthetically, used chiefly in soaps and perfumery.

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coumarin British  

/ ˈkuːmərɪn /

noun

1. a white vanilla-scented crystalline ester, used in perfumes and flavourings and as an anticoagulant. Formula: C 9 H 6 O 2

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coumarin Scientific  

/ ko̅o̅′mər-ĭn /

1. A fragrant crystalline compound extracted from several plants, such as tonka beans and sweet clover, or produced synthetically. Coumarin and its derivatives are widely used in perfumes, as anticoagulants, and as rodenticides. Chemical formula: C ₉ H ₆ O ₂ .

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Other Word Forms

• coumaric adjective

Etymology

Origin of coumarin

1820–30; < French coumarine, equivalent to coumar ( ou ) tonka-bean tree (< Spanish cumarú < Portuguese < Tupi cumaru ) + -ine -in ²

Example Sentences

The tonka bean’s robust scent comes from the presence of coumarin, a naturally occurring organic compound that’s also found in Cassia cinnamon and some licorice roots.

From Salon

You’d need to eat 30 whole beans for the coumarin levels to cause liver failure.

From Salon

Alongside is a sidecar of vanilla-tonka bean maple syrup, heady with the almond-y, fresh-hay scent of coumarin — a naturally occurring chemical in the seeds of the kumaru tree.

From Los Angeles Times

Cassia cinnamon contains up to 1% of coumarin, and the Ceylon variety contains much less, 0.004%.

From Salon

One of the active ingredients, coumarin, can be toxic for some people's livers.

From Salon