ketone

noun

ke·​tone ˈkē-ˌtōn 

: any of a class of organic compounds (such as acetone) characterized by a carbonyl group attached to two carbon atoms

ketonic

kē-ˈtä-nik 

adjective

Examples of ketone in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Their ketone content may support the burning of fat. —Beatrice Zocchi, Vogue, 11 Apr. 2025

Last week, Democratic senators questioned Oz about his record of pitching unproven treatments like green coffee beans and raspberry ketones for weight loss. —Dan Gorenstein, NPR, 20 Mar. 2025

He’d been hauled in to defend his habit of promoting unconventional supplements for weight loss, including green coffee beans, raspberry ketones, and an Asian tropical fruit called garcinia cambogia, on his daytime-television talk show. —Benjamin Mazer, The Atlantic, 20 Mar. 2025

Medium chain triglycerides: Provide additional energy to the brain through ketones. —Krystal Nurse, USA TODAY, 7 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from German Keton, coinage based on Aceton acetone

Note: The German term Keton was apparently the coinage of the chemist Leopold Gmelin (1788-1853), who introduced it in Handbuch der organischen Chemie, 1. Band, 4. Auflage (Heidelberg, 1848), p. 40 passim. Gmelin characterized ketones as "Acetone im allgemeinen" ("acetones in general"), acetone being the smallest and simplest ketone.

First Known Use

1851, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing ketone

• ketone body
• methyl ethyl ketone

Medical Definition

ketone

noun

ke·​tone ˈkē-ˌtōn 

: an organic compound (as acetone) with a carbonyl group attached to two carbon atoms