betaine

B3E1T1A1I1N1E1

noun

A sweet, crystalline compound (not an alkaloid), trimethylammoniumacetate, found in sugar beet and similar plants, sometimes used to treat muscular degeneracy; the zwitterion (CH₃)₃N⁺CH₂COO⁻.

OriginLatin bēta →
UncommonScrabble 9
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Meanings

nounbetaine (countable and uncountable, plural betaines)

plural betaines

  1. uncountablechemistryA sweet, crystalline compound (not an alkaloid), trimethylammoniumacetate, found in sugar beet and similar plants, sometimes used to treat muscular degeneracy; the zwitterion (CH₃)₃N⁺CH₂COO⁻.
  2. countablechemistryAny derivative of this compound.
  3. broadlycountablechemistryAny similar compound, based on sulfur or phosphorus etc., having an onium ion with no hydrogen atom adjacent to the anionic atom.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
trimethylglycine

Origin

  1. Latinbēta“beet”
  2. Englishbetaine

From New Latin, from Latin bēta (“beet”) + -ine.

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 甜菜鹼 /甜菜碱
  • 甜菜鹼 /甜菜碱 (tiáncàijiǎn)sugar beet compound
French bétaïne
  • bétaïnesugar beet compound
Korean 베타인
  • 베타인 (betain)sugar beet compound
Persian بتائین
  • بتائینsugar beet compound
Polish betaina
  • betainasugar beet compound

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

antibeeBeatine
Cite this entry
APA

betaine. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/betaine

MLA

“betaine.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/betaine. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “betaine,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/betaine.

Source: betaine on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.