vitamin
nounAny of various fat-soluble or water-soluble organic substances that are essential in minute amounts for normal growth and activity of living organisms. They are synthesized by bacteria and plants and are obtained by animals chiefly in their diet.
nounA preparation containing one or more vitamins, often taken as a dietary supplement.
nounany of several organic chemical substances not synthesized by an animal and required in small quantities for normal metabolism, present in and obtained from the natural foods eaten by the animal. Human vitamins are also produced synthetically, and taken in pure form or in mixtures, as dietary supplements. Deficiencies of specific vitamins lead to certain specific disorders, such as scurvy, caused by an insufficiency of vitamin C (ascorbic acid).
nounAny of a specific group of
any of a group of organic substances essential in small quantities to normal metabolism