carnitine

[ kahr-ni-teen ]

nounBiochemistry.
  1. a dipolar compound that occurs in muscle and liver and is involved in the transport of fatty acids across the inner mitochondrial membrane.

Origin of carnitine

1
1920–25; <German Carnitin, equivalent to Latin carni- (combining form of carō, genitive carnis meat, flesh) + -tin apparently arbitrarily chosen suffix (cf. -in2, -ine2); so called because it was first isolated in meat extract

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

Scientific definitions for carnitine

carnitine

[ kärnĭ-tēn′ ]


  1. A betaine commonly occurring in the liver and in skeletal muscle that is essential for fatty acid transport across mitochondrial membranes. Chemical formula: C7H15NO3.

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