Vicine

Part of speech: adjective, noun

Definitions

1. A toxic alkaloid present in certain vetch species, particularly in seeds and foliage
2. A poisonous substance occurring naturally in vetch plants that can cause illness if ingested
3. An alkaloid compound found in vetch that is harmful to humans and animals when consumed

Etymology: Vicine is a chemical name rather than an everyday word, and its name is built from the genus name of the broad bean. The first part comes from the translingual "Vicia," the botanical genus that includes the vetches and the broad bean, and the second part is the chemical suffix "-ine," which marks a compound derived from a plant or substance. The result is a name that tells you where the compound was first found rather than what it does. The genus name "Vicia" traces back to Latin "vicia," the word for the vetch, and that Latin plant name is the source of the English word's first element. Latin "vicia" itself grows from the same ancient root as Latin "vīcus," meaning a village or group of dwellings, which is why the vetch is connected to a word for a settlement. Beyond that, the Latin "vīcīnus" meaning "neighbouring" also descends from this root, and English "vicine" was borrowed directly from that Latin adjective, so the chemical name shares a root with the English word "vicinity."