a soluble white crystalline vitamin that occurs in the outer coat of rice and other grains. It forms part of the vitamin B complex and is essential for carbohydrate metabolism: deficiency leads to nervous disorders and to the disease beriberi. Formula: C12H17ON4SCl.H2O
Also: vitamin B1, aneurin
Word origin
C20: thio- + (vit)amin
thiamine in American English
(ˈθaɪəmɪn; ˈθaɪəˌmin)
noun
a white, crystalline B vitamin, C12H17ClN4OS, found in the outer coating of cereal grains, green peas, beans, egg yolk, liver, etc., and also prepared synthetically; vitamin B1: a deficiency of this vitamin results in beriberi and certain nervous disorders