nitrosamine

[ nahy-troh-suh-meen, nahy-trohs-am-in ]

nounChemistry.
  1. any of a series of compounds with the type formula R2NNO, some of which are carcinogenic, formed in cured meats by the conversion of nitrite.

Origin of nitrosamine

1
1875–80; nitros- + amine

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

British Dictionary definitions for nitrosamine

nitrosamine

/ (ˌnaɪtrəʊsəˈmiːn, ˌnaɪtrəʊsˈæmiːn) /


noun
  1. any one of a class of neutral, usually yellow oily compounds containing the divalent group =NNO

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for nitrosamine

nitrosamine

[ nī-trōsə-mēn′, nī′trōs-ămēn ]


  1. Any of a class of organic compounds with the general formula R2NNO or RNHNO, where R is an organic radical. Nitrosamines are present in various foods and other products, and certain ones are very carcinogenic.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.