paraxanthin

English

Etymology

Noun

paraxanthin (uncountable)

(archaic, organic chemistry) A crystalline substance closely related to xanthin, once thought to be present in small quantities in urine.

Usage notes

This term seems to be disputed, once being thought as a poison. Also, don't confuse it with paraxanthine, a stimulant find in coffee.

Part or all of this entry has been imported from the 1913 edition of Webster’s Dictionary, which is now free of copyright and hence in the public domain. The imported definitions may be significantly out of date, and any more recent senses may be completely missing.
(See the entry for “paraxanthin”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.)