vitamin D

noun

Updated on: 16 May 2018

Definition of vitamin D

: any or all of several fat-soluble vitamins chemically related to steroids, essential for normal bone and tooth structure, and found especially in fish-liver oils, egg yolk, and milk or produced by activation (as by ultraviolet irradiation) of sterols: such as

a or vitamin D₂ play \-ˈdē-ˈtü\ : calciferol

b or vitamin D₃ play \-ˈdē-ˈthrē\ : cholecalciferol

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Recent Examples of vitamin d from the Web

In this trial, 60 women with polycystic ovary syndrome, which frequently causes hirsutism, took placebo or a combination of 100 mg magnesium, 4 mg zinc, 400 mg calcium and 200 IU vitamin D for three months.

— joe graedon, m.s., and teresa graedon, Houston Chronicle, "Will zinc help hirsutism in women?," 13 May 2018
Important nutrients in mushrooms include selenium, vitamin D, glutathione and ergothioneine.

— robert beelman, CNN, "The humble mushroom is the newest superfood," 25 Apr. 2018
Unlike adults, nursing infants can’t eat marine foods and organ meat rich in vitamin D to compensate.

— ann gibbons, Science | AAAS, "Gene linked to breastfeeding may have boosted survival of earliest Americans," 23 Apr. 2018
Unique to the yolk is vitamin D, an essential nutrient for healthy bones.

— darlene zimmerman, Detroit Free Press, "Eggs: What you need to know about size, color and type," 22 Apr. 2018
The report alleged that Salazar worked with Dr. Jeffrey S. Brown, a Houston endocrinologist, to obtain thyroid medication, prescription-dose vitamin D, and testosterone for his athletes.

— michael levenson, BostonGlobe.com, "As the celebrated coach Alberto Salazar faces doping allegations, a shadow is cast over two of his elite runners competing in the Boston Marathon," 12 Apr. 2018
Fish, after all, are high in protein, low in saturated fat and contain beneficial nutrients like vitamin D and selenium.

— jane e. brody, New York Times, "Is It Time to Give Up on Fish Oil?," 26 Mar. 2018
And as for those of us city dwellers lacking in vitamin D?

— the editors, Marie Claire, "10 Unfiltered Sex Tips for the Best Action You've Ever Gotten," 10 Aug. 2017
However, data from the Women’s Health Initiative indicate a modest cardiovascular risk associated with calcium supplements with or without vitamin D (BMJ, April 19, 2011).

— joe graedon, m.s. and teresa graedon, ph.d., charlotteobserver, "The pros and cons of calcium supplements | Charlotte Observer," 14 Mar. 2018

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

First Known Use of vitamin d

circa 1921

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

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Medical Dictionary

vitamin D

noun

medical Definition of vitamin D

a : calciferol

b : cholecalciferol — called also sunshine vitamin

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vitamin D

Definition of vitamin D

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vitamin D

medical Definition of vitamin D

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Definition of vitamin D

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