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be·ta·ine

(bētə-ēn′, -ĭn)

1. A sweet-tasting crystalline alkaloid, C₅H₁₁NO₂, found in sugar beets and other plants, used to treat certain metabolic disorders, especially an enzyme defect that causes excessive levels of homocysteine in the blood and urine.

2. Any of several alkaloids with similar structures.

[Latin bēta, beet + -INE².]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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