TAURINE

I. adjective Etymology: Latin taurinus, from taurus bull; akin to Greek tauros bull, Middle Irish tarb Date: 1613 of or relating to a bull ; bovine , II. noun Etymology: International Scientific Vocabulary, from Latin taurus; from its having been discovered in ox bile Date: 1845 a crystalline acid C 2 H 7 NO 3 S that is synthesized in the body from cysteine and methionine, is similar to amino acids but is not a component of proteins, and is involved in various physiological functions (as bile acid conjugation and cell membrane stabilization)