Tannin is a yellow or brown chemical that is found in plants such as tea. It is used in the process of making leather and in dyeing.
tannin in British English
(ˈtænɪn)
noun
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 C76H52O46
Also called: tannic acid
Word origin
C19: from French tanin, from tan1
tannin in American English
(ˈtænɪn)
noun
any of a group of naturally occurring phenolic compounds that precipitate proteins, alkaloids, and glucosides from solution, and convert hide into leather, including tannic acid: some are present in coffee and tea
Word origin
Fr tanin < tan, tan1 + -in, -in1
Examples of 'tannin' in a sentence
tannin
Given the restrained acidity and tannins, drinking the reds and whites without their young fruit to the fore would be a crime.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Similar style, light bouquet, rounded fruit and tannins.
Lockspeiser, Jerry & Gear, Jackie Thorsons Organic Wine Guide (1991)