Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A crystalline substance, C10H12N2, that is formed in plant and animal tissues from tryptophan and is an intermediate in various metabolic processes.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun uncountable, biochemistry a heterocyclic amine found in both plant and animal tissue, where it is an intermediate in several metabolic schemes.
  • noun countable, medicine Any of a class of neurotransmitters and psychedelic drugs derived from this compound.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[trypt(ophan) + amine.]

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