Meanings
Synonyms & antonyms
nounan acid formed as an intermediate product of the metabolism of tyrosine and phenylalanine
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Ancient Greekκάπτω“to gulp down”
- Ancient Greekκάπτον
- GermanAlkapton
- Englishalkapton
From German Alkapton, coined by Boedeker (1861) as "an admittedly somewhat barbaric combination" of Alkali (“alkali”) + Ancient Greek κάπτον (kápton), neuter present participle of Ancient Greek κάπτω (káptō, “to gulp down”), after the tendency of alkapton to strongly react with oxygen in alkaline solution.
More words from German, Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
alkapton. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/alkapton
“alkapton.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/alkapton. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “alkapton,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/alkapton.
Source: alkapton on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.