saponin
any of a group of amorphous glycosides of terpenes and steroids, occurring in many plants, characterized by an ability to form emulsions and to foam in aqueous solutions, and used as detergents.
Origin of saponin
1Words Nearby saponin
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use saponin in a sentence
He also found saponin in the seeds, but it exists in much greater quantity in the trunk.
The Medicinal Plants of the Philippines | T. H. Pardo de TaveraIt contains a saponin and an acrid resin, and is said to possess expectorant, diaphoretic and—in large doses—emetic properties.
It is true that Boehm whom Hartung cites, found saponin to be irritating, but Boehm states that it required 100 mg.
Digitonin and digito-saponin are glucosides of this type which are found in the extracts from various species of Digitalis.
The Chemistry of Plant Life | Roscoe Wilfred Thatchersaponin is found in both of these plants, as well as in many other plants of the leguminosæ.
British Dictionary definitions for saponin
/ (ˈsæpənɪn) /
any of a group of plant glycosides with a steroid structure that foam when shaken and are used in detergents
Origin of saponin
1Collins 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 saponin
[ săp′ə-nĭn, sə-pō′- ]
Any of various plant glucosides that form soapy lathers when mixed and agitated with water. They are used in detergents, foaming agents, and emulsifiers. Some saponins, such as digitalis, affect the heart and have been used as medicines and arrow poisons by indigenous peoples of Africa and South America.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Browse