Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

berberine

/ˈbɝ.bəˌɹin/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 1.59 in modern English

Syllables: berber-ine
IPA: /ˈbɝ.bəˌɹin/

13

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

2

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Any of a class of alkaloid C₂₀H₁₉NO₅ originally obtained, as a bitter, yellow substance, from the root of the barberry, goldthread, and other plants. It is used in medicine especially for its antimicrobial properties.

Countable; Uncountable

Etymology

From berberis + -ine.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈbɝ.bəˌɹin/
British English: /ˈbɜː.bə.ɹiːn/

Usage

Inflected Forms

berberines (plural)

Derived Forms

epiberberine protoberberine

Questions

How do you pronounce berberine?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈbɝ.bəˌɹin/.
What does berberine mean?: Any of a class of alkaloid C₂₀H₁₉NO₅ originally obtained, as a bitter, yellow substance, from the root of the barberry, goldthread, and other plants. It is used in medicine especially for its antimicrobial properties.
Where does berberine come from?: From berberis + -ine.

How to pronounce berberine

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Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈbɝ.bəˌɹin/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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