hypoxanthine
noun
hy·po·xan·thine ˌhī-pō-ˈzan-ˌthēn 
: a purine base C5H4N4O found in plant and animal tissues that yields xanthine on oxidation
Word History
Etymology
borrowed from German Hypoxanthin, from hypo- hypo- + Xanthicoxyd, an earlier name for xanthine (borrowed from English xanthic oxide) + -in -in entry 1 — more at xanthine
Note: The name was introduced by the German physician and chemist Johann Joseph Scherer (1814-69) in "Ueber einen im thierischen Organismus vorkommenden, dem Xanthicoxyd verwandten Körper," Annalen der Chemie und Pharmacie, Band 73 (1850), p. 333.
First Known Use
circa 1857, in the meaning defined above
Medical Definition
hypoxanthine
noun
hy·po·xan·thine ˌhī-pō-ˈzan-ˌthēn
: a purine base C5H4N4O found in plant and animal tissues that yields xanthine on oxidation and is an intermediate in uric acid synthesis