kynurenic acid

noun

A metabolite of tryptophan that has antiexcitotoxic and anticonvulsant activity.

OriginAncient Greek κῠ́ων, κῠνός →
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Meanings

nounkynurenic acid (uncountable)
  1. uncountablechemistryA metabolite of tryptophan that has antiexcitotoxic and anticonvulsant activity.

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekκῠ́ων, κῠνός“dog”
  2. Englishkynurenic acid

From Ancient Greek κῠ́ων, κῠνός (kŭ́ōn, kŭnós, “dog”) + οὖρον (oûron, “urine”); so called because discovered in dog urine.

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Cite this entry
APA

kynurenic acid. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kynurenic%20acid

MLA

“kynurenic acid.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kynurenic%20acid. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “kynurenic acid,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kynurenic%20acid.

Source: kynurenic acid on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.