a white crystalline slightly water-soluble alkaloid that occurs in many plants, such as tea and cacao: formerly used to treat asthma. Formula: C7H8N4O2
See also xanthine (sense 2)
Word origin
C18: from New Latin theobroma genus of trees, literally: food of the gods, from theo- + Greek brōma food + -ine2
theobromine in American English
(ˌθioʊˈbroʊˌmin; ˌθioʊˈbroʊmɪn)
noun
a bitter, crystalline alkaloid, C7H8N4O2, extracted from the leaves and seeds of the cacao plant, used in medicine as a diuretic and nerve stimulant: it is closely related to caffeine and is also found in cola nuts and tea
Word origin
< ModL Theobroma, a genus of trees of the sterculia family < Gr theos, god (see theo-) + brōma, food + -ine3