'alanine' originates from German, specifically the word 'Alanin', where 'Ala-' referred to 'aldehyde' and '-nin' was a common suffix for amino acids.

'Ala-' combined with '-nin' in German to form 'Alanin', which was adopted into English as 'alanine'.

Initially, it referred to a specific amino acid, and this meaning has remained consistent in modern usage.