lutein

[ loo-tee-in ]

noun

, Biochemistry.

1. Also called xanthophyll. a yellow-red, water-insoluble, crystalline, carotenoid alcohol, C 40 H 56 O 2 , found in the petals of marigold and certain other flowers, egg yolk, algae, and corpora lutea: used chiefly in the biochemical study of the carotenoids.
2. a preparation consisting of dried and powdered corpora lutea from hogs.

lutein

/ ˈluːtɪɪn /

noun

1. a xanthophyll pigment, occurring in plants, that has a light-absorbing function in photosynthesis

Word History and Origins

Origin of lutein¹

1865–70; < Latin lūte ( um ) yolk of an egg (noun use of neuter of lūteus yellow; luteous ) + -in ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of lutein¹

C20: from Latin lūteus yellow + -in