tannin
Chemistry. any of a group of astringent vegetable principles or compounds, chiefly complex glucosides of catechol and pyrogallol, as the reddish compound that gives the tanning properties to oak bark or the whitish compound that occurs in large quantities in nutgalls. : See also tannic acid.
any of these compounds occurring in wine and imparting an astringent taste, especially in red wine.
Origin of tannin
1Other words from tannin
- non·tan·nin, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use tannin in a sentence
The last note is smooth, without any bite, without any acidic or tannins.
Ramona Singer of ‘Real Housewives of New York’ Offers Wine and Wisdom | Stacey Grenrock Woods | August 14, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST“Mouvedre is a thick-skinned late-harvested variety with sharp tannins that often seem rustic,” he says.
As the tannins soften, the wines remain lively in the mouth.
But this does not prove that tannins can normally replace carbohydrates as food material for these species of plants.
The Chemistry of Plant Life | Roscoe Wilfred ThatcherIt seems to be fairly well demonstrated that tannins are intermediate products for the formation of cork tissue.
The Chemistry of Plant Life | Roscoe Wilfred Thatcher
Finally, certain of the tannins undoubtedly serve as protective agents to prevent the growth of parasitic fungi in fruits, etc.
The Chemistry of Plant Life | Roscoe Wilfred ThatcherTannins are of frequent occurrence in green fruits, imparting to them their characteristic astringent taste.
The Chemistry of Plant Life | Roscoe Wilfred ThatcherFinally, most tannins, in alkaline solutions, absorb oxygen from the air and become dark brown or black in color.
The Chemistry of Plant Life | Roscoe Wilfred Thatcher
British Dictionary definitions for tannin
/ (ˈtænɪn) /
any of a class of yellowish or brownish solid compounds found in many plants and used as tanning agents, mordants, medical astringents, etc. Tannins are derivatives of gallic acid with the approximate formula C 76 H 52 O 46: Also called: tannic acid
Origin of tannin
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 tannin
[ tăn′ĭn ]
Any of various compounds, including tannic acid, that occur naturally in the bark and fruit of various plants, especially the nutgalls, certain oaks, and sumac. Tannins are polyphenols, and form yellowish to light brown amorphous masses that can be powdery, flaky, or spongy. They bind proteins and are used in dyeing, in tanning leather, in clarifying wine and beer, and as an astringent in medicine. Tannins also give color and flavor to black tea.
Any of various other substances that promote the tanning of leather, such as chromium salts.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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