diosgenin

[ dahy-oz-jen-in, dahy-oz-juh-nin ]
/ ˌdaɪ ɒzˈdʒɛn ɪn, daɪˈɒz dʒə nɪn /

noun Biochemistry.

a crystalline compound, C27H42O3, the aglycone of dioscin: used in the synthesis of steroidal hormones, as of progesterone.

Origin of diosgenin

< German Diosgenin (1936), equivalent to New Latin Dios(corea) the yam genus from which it was first extracted, irregular after Dioscorides 1st-century a.d. Greek physician + German -genin; see -gen, -in2

Words nearby diosgenin

diorama, diorite, dioscin, dioscuri, diose, diosgenin, diosmose, diotic, diouf, diovular, diovulatory