berberine

English

Etymology

From berberis +‎ -ine.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈbɜː.bə.ɹiːn/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈbɝ.bəˌɹin/

Noun

berberine (countable and uncountable, plural berberines)

1. (biochemistry, pharmacology) Any of a class of alkaloid C₂₀H₁₉NO₅ originally obtained, as a bitter, yellow substance, from the root of the barberry, goldthread, and other plants. It is used in medicine especially for its antimicrobial properties.

Derived terms

• epiberberine
• protoberberine

Translations

Translations

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 小檗鹼 / 小檗碱 (xiǎobòjiǎn), 小檗硷 (xiǎobòjiǎn), 黃連素 / 黄连素 (zh) (huángliánsù)

• Finnish: berberiini
• Japanese: ベルベリン (beruberin)
• Russian: бербери́н (ru) m (berberín)

References

• “berberine”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
• “berberine”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.