lecithin

noun lec·i·thin \ ˈle-sə-thən \

Updated on: 23 Feb 2018

Definition of lecithin

: any of several waxy hygroscopic phospholipids that are widely distributed in animals and plants, form colloidal solutions in water, and have emulsifying, wetting, and antioxidant properties; also : a mixture of or substance rich in lecithins

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Recent Examples of lecithin from the Web

The ingredients listed on the packaging are: unbleached enriched flour, sugar, palm and/or canola oil, cocoa, high fructose corn syrup, leavening, corn starch, salt, soy lecithin, vanillin, and unsweetened chocolate.

— jamie ballard, Good Housekeeping, "The Great Cookie Debate: Are Oreos Vegan or Not?," 15 Feb. 2018
However, the price of the golden almond has led to the watering down of milks, with manufacturers relying instead on thickening agents like carrageenan and emulsifiers like lecithin.

— grace dickinson, Philly.com, "The newest trend sweeping Philly coffee shops (and pushing almond milk aside)," 13 Feb. 2018
More significant than the Diggers, perhaps, was a tiny vitamin-and-lecithin store that Fred Rohé took over in the Inner Sunset in 1965.

— jonathan kauffman, San Francisco Chronicle, "How the Bay Area’s counterculture helped sprout hippie food," 19 Jan. 2018
The reason the drops mix so seamlessly into any formula (and then onto your skin) is because the pigments are coated with lecithin, which is biochemically similar to the skin.

— carly cardellino, Cosmopolitan, "The 16 Best Beauty Innovations of 2015," 21 Dec. 2015
The grocery store just recalled 3,448 pounds of its Trader Joe's Chicken Breakfast Sausage after getting word from their supplier, DiLuigi Foods, that the product contains soy lecithin.

— alexa tucker, SELF, "Trader Joe's Just Recalled 3,448 Pounds of Breakfast Sausage," 30 Aug. 2017
Soy, including soy sauce, miso, tofu, tempeh, edamame, and additives like soy lecithin.

— molly kimball, cleveland.com, "Whole30: Extreme healthy eating, with specific do's and don'ts," 15 Aug. 2017
Nearly all these chocolates contain milk, sugar, cocoa, vanilla and lecithin.

— jolene thym, The Mercury News, "Taste-Off: The best chocolate chips — and the plasticky ones," 17 Apr. 2017
Fruit juice is mixed with soy and whey protein, but soy lecithin pulled this lower on the nutritional scale.

— nicole tsong, The Seattle Times, "Rating store-bought smoothies," 19 Apr. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'lecithin.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of lecithin

International Scientific Vocabulary, from Greek lekithos yolk of an egg

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1861

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Medical Dictionary

lecithin

noun lec·i·thin \ ˈles-ə-thən \

medical Definition of lecithin

: any of several waxy hygroscopic phospholipids in which phosphatidic acid has formed an ester with choline and which are widely distributed in animals and plants, form colloidal solutions in water, and have emulsifying, wetting, and antioxidant properties; also : a mixture of or a substance rich in lecithins — called also phosphatidylcholine