antivitamin
|an-ti-vi-ta-min|
🇺🇸
/ˌæn.tiˈvaɪ.tə.mɪn/
🇬🇧
/ˌæn.tɪˈvɪt(ə)mɪn/
vitamin antagonist
Etymology
'antivitamin' originates from modern English, combining the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti-' meaning 'against') and the noun 'vitamin' (coined in Polish/English as 'vitamina'/'vitamin' by Casimir Funk, from Latin 'vita' meaning 'life' and '-amine' referring to amine compounds).
'vitamin' was coined in 1912 by Casimir Funk as Polish 'witamina' and adopted into English as 'vitamin'; the productive prefix 'anti-' (from Greek) has long been used in English to form words meaning 'against' or 'opposed to', and the compound 'antivitamin' was formed in the 20th century by combining these elements.
Initially the components meant 'against' + 'a substance essential for life', and 'antivitamin' has retained the meaning 'a substance that opposes a vitamin' in technical and medical usage.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a substance that counteracts, inhibits, or antagonizes the action of a vitamin (for example, a compound that prevents the absorption or activity of a specific vitamin).
Avidin, found in raw egg white, can act as an antivitamin by binding biotin and preventing its absorption.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/09/12 08:21