caffeine
/ˈkæfiːn/ noun
Forms caffeines caffein
- noun An alkaloid, C₈H₁₀N₄O₂, found naturally in tea and coffee plants, which acts as a mild stimulant on the central nervous system.
Synonyms
Etymology
Borrowed from French caféine, from café (“coffee”), or German Caffein, Kaffein (cp. Coffein, Koffein), from Kaffee (“coffee”) (cp. Kaffe, Koffee, Koffe), or Italian caffè (“coffee”) + -ine.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A white, bitter, crystallizable substance, obtained from coffee. It is identical with the alkaloid theine from tea leaves, and with guaranine from guarana.
Etymology [Cf. F. caféine. See Coffee.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “caffeine”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details