vitamin D


noun
  1. any of the several fat-soluble, antirachitic vitamins D1, D2, D3, occurring in milk and fish-liver oils, especially cod and halibut, or obtained by irradiating provitamin D with ultraviolet light, essential for the formation of normal bones and teeth.

Origin of vitamin D

1
First recorded in 1920–25

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How to use vitamin D in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for vitamin D

vitamin D

nounplural D vitamins
  1. any of the fat-soluble vitamins, including calciferol and cholecalciferol, occurring in fish-liver oils (esp cod-liver oil), milk, butter, and eggs: used in the treatment of rickets and osteomalacia

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 vitamin D

vitamin D

  1. Any of a group of fat-soluble sterols necessary for normal bone growth, especially vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) and vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol). Vitamin D is found in milk, fish, and eggs and can be produced in the skin on exposure to sunlight. A deficiency of vitamin D in the diet causes rickets in children.

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