See Also: vitamin F(medicine)
vitamin B4(medicine)
vitamin B3(medicine)
vitamin B2(medicine)
vitamin a(medicine)
vitamin b 12(medicine)
vitamin b(medicine)
vitamin b1(medicine)
vitamin A2(medicine)
vitamin A1(medicine)

vitamin (iou)



vitamin noun. Also vitamine. E20.
[from Latin vita life + AMINE, from a mistaken belief that vitamins contain amino acids.]
Any of various organic compounds of which small quantities are needed in the diet because they have a distinct biochemical role (often as coenzymes), and cannot be adequately synthesized by the body, so that a deficiency usu. produces characteristic symptoms or disease.
vitamin A retinol, a deficiency of which leads to night blindness and anaemia. vitamin B any of the vitamins in the B complex; vitamin B complex, vitamin B group, several chemically unrelated water-soluble vitamins mostly occurring together in liver, cereals, and yeast; vitamin B1 = THIAMINE; vitamin B2 = RIBOFLAVIN; vitamin B6, pyridoxine and related compounds, deficiency of which can give rise to irritability, nervousness, or convulsions; vitamin B12, cyanocobalamin and related compounds, synthesized by micro-organisms and present in meat, eggs, dairy products, etc., a deficiency of which leads to pernicious anaemia and neuropathy. vitamin C = ASCORBIC acid. vitamin D any or all of several fat-soluble vitamins that cure or prevent rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults, being required for the correct metabolism of calcium; vitamin D2 = CALCIFEROL; vitamin D3 = CHOLECALCIFEROL. vitamin E = TOCOPHEROL. vitamin H (chiefly US) = BIOTIN. vitamin K either or both of two related fat-soluble derivatives of naphthoquinone, required for the proper clotting of blood; vitamin K1 = PHYLLOQUINONE; vitamin K2 = MENAQUINONE. vitamin M (chiefly US) = FOLIC acid. vitamin P (chiefly US) = CITRIN.
vita'minic adjective pertaining to or containing a vitamin or vitamins E20.
vi'taminous adjective (rare) = vitaminic E20.