lecithin

English

Etymology

From French lécithine, coined in 1847 by Theodore Gobley, from Ancient Greek λέκιθος (lékithos, “egg yolk”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈlɛs.ə.θɪn/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪn

Noun

lecithin (countable and uncountable, plural lecithins)

1. (organic chemistry) The principal phospholipid in animals; it is particularly abundant in egg yolks, and is extracted commercially from soy. It is a major constituent of cell membranes, and is commonly used as a food additive (as an emulsifier).

Synonyms

• phosphatidylcholine
• E322 when used as an emulsifier

Derived terms

• lecithinase
• lysolecithin

Translations

lecithin

• Catalan: lecitina (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 卵磷脂 (zh) (luǎnlínzhī)

• Czech: lecitin m
• Dutch: lecithine (nl) m or f
• Estonian: letsitiin
• Finnish: lesitiini (fi)
• German: Lecithin n
• Greek: λεκιθίνη (el) f (lekithíni)
• Hindi: अंडपीति (aṇḍpīti)
• Icelandic: lesitín n
• Irish: leicitin f
• Italian: lecitina (it) f
• Marathi: अंडपीति (aṇḍpīti)
• Nepali: अंडपीति (aṇḍapīti)
• Polish: lecytyna (pl) f
• Russian: лецити́н (ru) m (lecitín)
• Sorbian:

  Lower Sorbian: lecitin m

  Upper Sorbian: lecitin m

• Spanish: lecitina f
• Welsh: lesithin m

Further reading

• lecithin on Wikipedia.Wikipedia