vanillin

noun van·il·lin \ ˈva-nə-lən \

Updated on: 11 Apr 2018

Definition of vanillin

: a crystalline phenolic aldehyde C₈H₈O₃ that is extracted from vanilla beans or prepared synthetically and is used especially in flavoring and in perfumery

Recent Examples of vanillin from the Web

Ingredients include water, maltitol, cocoa, celluose gum, caramel color, natural and artificial flavor, vanillin and salt.

— atlanta life, ajc, "Where can I find it?," 4 Apr. 2018
In 2014, the group approached Nestlé requesting a statement regarding the use of synbio vanillin in its Häagen-Dazs ice cream.

— david ferry, Newsweek, "The Promises and Perils of Synthetic Biology," 11 Mar. 2015
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
So much sulfur made it into the stratosphere that sulfuric acid as strong as battery acid rained across the planet, indicated by traces of vanillin in fossil soils from that time.

— howard lee, Ars Technica, "When will the Earth try to kill us again?," 9 Nov. 2017
Queeny’s coal-tar drug company, Monsanto, was also flush from lucrative contracts with Coca-Cola, who bought their caffeine, vanillin, and saccharin.

— rebecca altman, The Atlantic, "How the Benzene Tree Polluted the World," 4 Oct. 2017
Imitation vanillin extracted from lignin or guaiacol is very standard, rather than distinct.

— simran sethi, Smithsonian, "The Bittersweet Story of Vanilla," 3 Apr. 2017
Chemically, guaiacol is similar to a lot of other whiskey aroma compounds like vanillin (with the scent of vanilla) and limonene (citrus).

— jenna gallegos, chicagotribune.com, "The best way to drink whiskey, according to science," 17 Aug. 2017
To a bottle, the wines project lush artificial cherry flavors, bits of vanillin and oak, soft tannins — and usually a palpable level of residual sugar, serving to mask whatever flaws may lie within.

— patrick comiskey, latimes.com, "Why blending wine is one of the fastest growing trends in the industry," 15 June 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of vanillin

borrowed from French vanilline, from vanille ¹vanilla + -ine ¹-in

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1868

See Words from the same year

Medical Dictionary

vanillin

noun van·il·lin \ ˈvan-ᵊl-ən \

medical Definition of vanillin

: a crystalline phenolic aldehyde C₈H₈O₃ that is prepared synthetically or is obtained as the chief fragrant component of vanilla extracted from vanilla beans and that is used especially in flavoring and in perfumery