any of a group of fat-soluble alcohols that occur in wheat-germ oil, watercress, lettuce, egg yolk, etc. They are thought to be necessary for healthy human reproduction
Also called: vitamin E
Word origin
C20: from toco-, from Greek tokos offspring (see tocology) + -pher-, from pherein to bear + -ol1
tocopherol in American English
(toʊˈkɑfərɔl; toʊˈkɑfərˌoʊl)
noun
any of a group of four closely related viscous oils that constitute vitamin E and occur chiefly in wheat germ oil, cottonseed oil, lettuce, etc.
Word origin
< Gr tokos (see tocology) + pherein, to bear1 + -ol1