vitamin D

English

Etymology

From vitamin +‎ D (“4th letter”). From being the fourth vitamin discovered. Coined in 1922 by Elmer McCollum, who discovered the vitamin.

Noun

vitamin D (uncountable)

1. (biochemistry) Any of a number of fat-soluble vitamins, required for normal bone development and that prevents rickets; can be manufactured in the skin on exposure to sunlight.
2. (humorous, slang) dick (sex with a man)

Alternative forms

• vit. D (abbreviation)

Hypernyms

• steroid
• hormone

Coordinate terms

• calcitriol
• calciferol
• cholecalciferol
• ergocalciferol
• lumicalciferol
• sitocalciferol
• hydroxycalciferol
• hydroxycholecalciferol
• dihydroxycholecalciferol
• dihydroxycalciferol
• dehydrocholesterol
• 7-dehydrocholesterol

Derived terms

Derived terms

• vitamin D₁
• vitamin D₂
• vitamin D₃
• vitamin D₄
• vitamin D₅
• hydroxyvitamin-D
• dihydroxyvitamin-D
• VDR / vitamin D receptor
• previtamin D
• previtamin D₃

Translations

any of a number of fat-soluble vitamins

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 維生素D／维生素D (wéishēngsù-dì)

• Dutch: vitamine D m or f
• Esperanto: vitamino D
• Finnish: D-vitamiini
• Georgian: D ვიტამინი (D viṭamini), ვიტამინი D (viṭamini D)
• German: Vitamin D n
• Portuguese: vitamina D f
• Russian: витами́н D m (vitamín D)
• Swahili: vitamini D
• Swedish: D-vitamin (sv)