Main Entry:

xan·thine

Pronunciation:

\ˈzan-ˌthēn\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

International Scientific Vocabulary

Date:

1857

: a feebly basic compound C₅H₄N₄O₂ that occurs especially in animal or plant tissue, is derived from guanine and hypoxanthine, and yields uric acid on oxidation ; also : any of various derivatives of xanthine (as methylxanthine)