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caffeine

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caf⋅feine

[ka-feen, kaf-een, kaf-ee-in]
–noun Chemistry, Pharmacology.
a white, crystalline, bitter alkaloid, C8H10N4O2, usually derived from coffee or tea: used in medicine chiefly as a nervous system stimulant.
Also, caf⋅fein.


Origin:
1820–30; < F caféine, equiv. to café coffee + -ine -ine 2


caf⋅fein⋅ic [ka-fee-nik, kaf-ee-in-ik] , adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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caf·feine also caf·fein   (kā-fēn', kāf'ēn', kāf'ē-ĭn)   
n.  A bitter white alkaloid, C8H10N4O2, often derived from tea or coffee and used in medicine chiefly as a mild stimulant and to treat certain kinds of headache.

[German Kaffein (from Kaffee, coffee) or French caféine, both from French café, coffee; see café.]
caf'fein·at'ed (kāf'ə-nā'tĭd) adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

caffeine 
1830, from Ger. Kaffein, coined by chemist F.F. Runge (1795-1867) after Mod.L. coffea "coffee" + chemical suffix -ine.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: caf·feine
Pronunciation: ka-'fEn, 'ka-"; 'kaf-E-&n
Function: noun
: a bitter alkaloidC8H10N4O2 found especially in coffee, tea, and kola nuts and used medicinally as a stimulant and diuretic —caf·fein·ic /ka-'fE-nik, "kaf-E-'in-ik/ adjective
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

caffeine caf·feine or caf·fein (kā-fēn', kāf'ēn', kāf'ē-ĭn)
n.
A bitter white alkaloid often derived from tea or coffee and used chiefly as a mild stimulant and in the treatment of certain kinds of headache.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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