Alkapton

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A rare inherited metabolic condition in which homogentisic acid accumulates in the body and darkens tissues and urine over time
2. An inborn error of metabolism where the body cannot break down a particular amino acid, leading to dark pigmentation in urine and connective tissue
3. A hereditary disorder marked by the buildup of homogentisic acid, causing urine to turn dark when exposed to air and joint damage later in life

Etymology: Alkaptonuria, the rare inherited condition behind this word, was named by a German chemist, C. Boedeker, in 1861, and he was candid that the name was clumsy. He had discovered a substance in urine that reduced copper oxide in an alkaline solution, and he called it "alkapton." The name joins "alkali" with a Greek word, "kapton," the neuter present participle of "kaptein," meaning "to gulp down" or "to swallow greedily." Boedeker described the Greek part as "begierig verschlucken," so the name suggests the substance eagerly takes in oxygen. The name fits that behavior. In alkaline solution the substance reacts strongly with oxygen, so Boedeker imagined it greedily swallowing the gas. He was openly apologetic about the blend of Arabic and Greek roots, noting in his paper that the combination was "somewhat barbaric," yet the name stuck to the chemical and later to the disease it signals.