hypoxanthine

noun

hy·​po·​xan·​thine ˌhī-pō-ˈzan-ˌthēn 

: a purine base C₅H₄N₄O found in plant and animal tissues that yields xanthine on oxidation

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from German Hypoxanthin, from hypo- hypo- + Xanthicoxyd, an earlier name for xanthine (borrowed from English xanthic oxide) + -in -in entry 1 — more at xanthine

Note: The name was introduced by the German physician and chemist Johann Joseph Scherer (1814-69) in "Ueber einen im thierischen Organismus vorkommenden, dem Xanthicoxyd verwandten Körper," Annalen der Chemie und Pharmacie, Band 73 (1850), p. 333.

First Known Use

circa 1857, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

hypoxanthine

noun

hy·​po·​xan·​thine ˌhī-pō-ˈzan-ˌthēn 

: a purine base C₅H₄N₄O found in plant and animal tissues that yields xanthine on oxidation and is an intermediate in uric acid synthesis