xanthein

Borrowed from French xantheine, apparently an arbitrary respelling to distinguish it from the similarly spelled xanthine. Ultimately from Ancient Greek; see xanthine.

• IPA^(key): /ˈzænθiːn/
• Homophones: xanthene, xanthine

xanthein (countable and uncountable, plural xantheins)

1. (chemistry) The water-soluble part of the yellow carotenoid pigment present in the cell sap of some plants.

• Xanthein and similar-sounding words have also been used for several different yellow compounds derived from plants.

• xanthin
• xanthine

• xanthine