cadaverine

noun

ca·​dav·​er·​ine kə-ˈda-və-ˌrēn How to pronounce cadaverine (audio)
: a syrupy colorless poisonous ptomaine C5H14N2 formed by decarboxylation of lysine especially in putrefaction of flesh

Examples of cadaverine in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
After testing 93 smelly chemicals on representative zebrafish TAARs, the authors found a match: cadaverine turns on a receptor called TAAR13c. Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 13 Nov. 2013 Chemistry professor Timothy Swager and colleagues ran a minute electrical current through tiny cylinders of carbon atoms called nanotubes to detect compounds that rotting meat exudes — chemicals with evocative names like putrescine and cadaverine. Katherine Kornei, Discover Magazine, 20 Jan. 2016 Not solely the sign of a rotting carcass, cadaverine and putrescine also show up in urine and bad breath. Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 13 Nov. 2013 The presence of salt slows this fermentation process, promoting lactic acid bacteria that defeat pathogens and such foul-smelling toxins as cadaverine and putrescine. Taras Grescoe, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Oct. 2021

Word History

First Known Use

1885, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of cadaverine was in 1885

Dictionary Entries Near cadaverine

Cite this Entry

“Cadaverine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cadaverine. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

Medical Definition

cadaverine

noun
ca·​dav·​er·​ine kə-ˈdav-ə-ˌrēn How to pronounce cadaverine (audio)
: a syrupy colorless poisonous ptomaine C5H14N2 formed by decarboxylation of lysine especially in putrefaction of flesh

More from Merriam-Webster on cadaverine

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!