betaine

2 definitions found

betaine - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Betaine \Be"ta*ine\, n. [From beta, generic name of the beet.]
     (Chem.)
     A nitrogenous base, C5H11NO2, produced artificially, and
     also occurring naturally in beet-root molasses and its
     residues, from which it is extracted as a white crystalline
     substance; -- called also lycine and oxyneurine. It has a
     sweetish taste.
     [1913 Webster]

betaine - WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005) :

  betaine
      n 1: a sweet tasting alkaloid that occurs in sugar beets