| 释义 | vitamin /vitˈə-min or (esp N American) vīˈtə-/ (orig vitamine /-mēn/) nounAny of numerous organic substances, ‘accessory food factors’, present in minute quantities in nutritive foods and essential for the health of animals, designated provisionally vitamin A, B1, B2, B6, B12, C, D, D2, D3, E, F (obsolete), G (another name for B2; esp N American), H, K, K1, K2, K3, L, P (previously called X), PP (a vitamin effective against pellagra, as nicotinic acid)—later these were analysed and given names indicating something of their nature, such as: retinolAneurin (thiamine), riboflavin, pantothenic acid, nicotinic acid (niacin), pyridoxine (adermin), cyanocobalamin, folic acid, pteroic acidAscorbic acidCalciferol, esp cholecalciferol and ergocalciferolTocopherolLinoleic and linolenic acidBiotinPhylloquinone (or phytonadione), menadione, menaquinoneBioflavonoid (citrin)
 ORIGIN: Coined in 1906 from L vīta life, and (inappropriately) amine viˈtaminize or viˈtaminise  transitive verb  To add vitamins to (a food) vitamin B complex  noun  A group of vitamins formerly regarded as being a single vitamin |