Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

xanthine

/ˈzænθin/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.78 in modern English

Syllables
xan-thine
IPA
/ˈzænθin/
18
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Any of a group of alkaloids that include caffeine, theophylline, and theobromine as well as the parent compound, a precursor of uric acid found in many organs of the body.

Countable; Uncountable

Etymology

From international scientific vocabulary, from French xanthine, reflecting New Latin combining forms: xanth- + -ine; ultimately from Ancient Greek ξανθός (xanthós, “yellow”), because xanthine is yellowish-white. By surface analysis, xanth- + -ine.

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈzænθin/
  • British English: /ˈzanθiːn/

Usage

Inflected Forms

xanthines (plural) xanthin (alternative, dated)

Derived Forms

hypoxanthine isobutylmethylxanthine methylxanthine nonxanthine paraxanthine xanthinic xanthinuria xanthose xanthyl zooxanthine

Phrases

xanthine oxidase

Homonyms

xanthein xanthene

Questions

How do you pronounce xanthine?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈzænθin/.
What does xanthine mean?
Any of a group of alkaloids that include caffeine, theophylline, and theobromine as well as the parent compound, a precursor of uric acid found in many organs of the body.
Where does xanthine come from?
From international scientific vocabulary, from French xanthine, reflecting New Latin combining forms: xanth- + -ine; ultimately from Ancient Greek ξανθός (xanthós, “yellow”), because xanthine is yellowish-white. By surface analysis, xanth- + -ine.

How to pronounce xanthine

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “xanthine”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈzænθin/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “xanthine”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “xanthine” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.