a. [ NL. scitamineosus, fr. Scitamineae, fr. L. scitamentum a delicacy, dainty. ] (Bot.) Of or pertaining to a natural order of plants (
n. any of several organic chemical substances not synthesized by an animal and required in small quantities for normal metabolism, present in and obtained from the natural foods eaten by the animal. Human vitamins are also produced synthetically, and taken in pure form or in mixtures, as dietary supplements. Deficiencies of specific vitamins lead to certain specific disorders, such as scurvy, caused by an insufficiency of vitamin C (ascorbic acid). Most vitamins act as coenzymes or precursors to coenzymes, and are not consumed for energy production or incorporated into structural units of the cell. [ PJC ]
n. any of several related fat-soluble vitamins (such as retinol) essential for normal vision; it also prevents night blindness or inflammation or dryness of the eyes.
n. retinol (
n. dehydroretinol (
n. a group of water-soluble vitamins originally thought to be a single vitamin but now separated into several B vitamins.
n. a B vitamin
n. a B vitamin that is used to treat pernicious anemia.
n. a B vitamin that prevents skin lesions and weight loss.
n. See nicotinamide.
n. See nicotinic acid.
n. a B vitamin that is essential for metabolism of amino acids and starch.
n. a B vitamin that is essential for cell growth and reproduction. Also called
n. a mixture of water-soluble vitamins originally thought to be a single vitamin but now known to be a mixture of several compounds with vitaminic activity.
n. a vitamin that prevents scurvy. Also called
n. any of several chemically related fat-soluble vitamins that prevent rickets. It is found in fish-liver oils, egg yolks and milk. Component vitamin D2 is also called
n. a fat-soluble vitamin that is essential for normal reproduction. It is found in vegetable oils, butter, and eggs.
n. same as vitamin B2.
n., a B vitamin that aids in body growth.
n.
n. one of the two K vitamins, (
n. menadione, (
n. same as vitamin Bc; folic acid. [ WordNet 1.5 ]
n. a water-soluble vitamin that maintains the resistance of cell and capillary walls to permeation.