Carnitine

//ˈkɑː.nɪt.iːn// noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A betaine, 3-hydroxy-4-trimethylammonio-butanoate, that is found in the liver and has a function in fatty acid transport. countable, uncountable

    "Although often called an amino acid because of its chemical makeup, L-carnitine is actually a vitaminlike nutrient, related in structure to the B vitamins. L-carnitine is the biologically active form of carnitine."

Synonyms

All synonyms
car

Example

More examples

"Researchers have found tantalizing evidence that bacteria inside the body convert carnitine into a compound that hardens arteries, contributing to arteriosclerosis and increasing the risk of heart attack."

Etymology

From Latin caro/carnis (“flesh, meat”) + t + -ine, for it was first described in meat extracts in 1905.

Related phrases

D-carnitineDL-carnitineL-carnitinefatty acid

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.