lecithin

lecithin

English

Etymology

From French lécithine, coined in 1847 by Theodore Gobley, from Ancient Greek λέκιθος (lékithos, “egg yolk”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈlɛs.ə.θɪn/
• Rhymes: -ɪn

Noun

lecithin (plural lecithins)

1. (organic chemistry) The principal phospholipid in animals; it is particularly abundant in egg yolks, and is extracted commercially from soy. It is a major constituent of cell membranes, and is commonly used as a food additive (as an emulsifier).

Synonyms

• phosphatidylcholine
• E322 when used as an emulsifier

Derived terms

• lecithinase
• lysolecithin

Translations

lecithin

Catalan: lecitina (ca) f Chinese: Mandarin: 卵磷脂 (zh) (luǎnlínzhī) Czech: lecitin m Dutch: lecithine (nl) m or f Estonian: letsitiin Finnish: lesitiini (fi) Greek: λεκιθίνη (el) f (lekithíni) Hindi: अंडपीति (aṇḍpīti) Icelandic: lesitín n Italian: lecitina (it) f Marathi: अंडपीति (aṇḍpīti) Nepali: अंडपीति (aṇḍapīti) Polish: lecytyna (pl) f Russian: лецити́н (ru) m (lecitín) Spanish: lecitina f

Further reading

• lecithin on Wikipedia.Wikipedia