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vitamin

Pronunciation: /ˈvɪtəmɪn, ˈvʌɪt-/

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Definition of vitamin

noun

  • any of a group of organic compounds which are essential for normal growth and nutrition and are required in small quantities in the diet because they cannot be synthesized by the body: most people can get all the vitamins they need from a healthy diet [as modifier]:vitamin deficiency

Origin:

early 20th century: from Latin vita 'life' + amine, because vitamins were originally thought to contain an amino acid

Spelling help

The ending of vitamin is spelled -min.

Spelling tip

vitamins and minerals are essential to health.

vitamin in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of vitamin in the US English dictionary

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