n.
Pronunciation: ' zan- ˌ th ē n
Function: noun
Etymology: International Scientific Vocabulary
Date: 1857
: a feebly basic compound C 5 H 4 N 4 O 2 that occurs especially in animal or plant tissue, is derived from guanine and hypoxanthine, and yields uric acid on oxidation also : any of various derivatives of xanthine (as methylxanthine)