coumarin Hear it!

coumarin definition

cou·ma·rin (ko̵̅o̅′mə rin′)

noun

a toxic, white crystalline substance, CHO, with the odor of vanilla, obtained from the tonka bean and certain plants or made synthetically: used in perfumes, soaps, etc.

Etymology: Fr coumarine < coumarou, tonka bean < Port < Tupí cumaru

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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