Definition of Saponin

1. Noun. Any of various plant glucosides that form soapy lathers when mixed and agitated with water; used in detergents and foaming agents and emulsifiers.

Generic synonyms: Glucoside

Definition of Saponin

1. n. A poisonous glucoside found in many plants, as in the root of soapwort (Saponaria), in the bark of soap bark (Quillaia), etc. It is extracted as a white amorphous powder, which occasions a soapy lather in solution, and produces a local anæsthesia. Formerly called also struthiin, quillaiin, senegin, polygalic acid, etc. By extension, any one of a group of related bodies of which saponin proper is the type.

Definition of Saponin

1. Noun. (context: organic chemistry steroid) Any of various steroid glycosides found in plant tissues that dissolve in water to give a soapy froth. ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Definition of Saponin

1. a soapy substance obtained from plants [n -S]

Medical Definition of Saponin

1. Glycosidic surfactants produced by plant cells. Used to solubilise membrane proteins etc. This entry appears with permission from the Dictionary of Cell and Molecular Biology (11 Mar 2008)

Lexicographical Neighbors of Saponin

saponacity
saponary
saponated
saponatus
saponic acid
saponifiable
saponification
saponification number
saponifications
saponified
saponifier
saponifiers
saponifies
saponify
saponifying
saponin (current term)
saponine
saponines
saponins
saponite
saponites
saponul
saponule
saponules
sapor
saporific
saporosity
saporous
sapors
sapota

Literary usage of Saponin

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. A Dictionary of Chemistry and the Allied Branches of Other Sciences by Henry Watts (1869)
"saponin dissolves in water, forming a frothy solution, more easily in dilute than in strong ... A solution of saponin in 4 pts. of water forms with baryta- ..."

2. The Journal of Experimental Medicine by Rockefeller University, Rockefeller Institute, Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research (1906)
"The following tables show that eosin and especially erythrosin act with considerable intensity upon saponin. The saponin was Merck's, the dyes " eosin rein" ..."

3. Elements of Chemistry: Theoretical and Practical by William Allen Miller (1867)
"When dry, saponin forms a colourless friable mass, which is destitute of odour, and of a sweetish, styptic, persistent taste. ..."

4. Food Inspection and Analysis: For the Use of Public Analysts, Health by Albert Ernest Leach, Andrew Lincoln Winton (1913)
"If saponin is present the liquid becomes clear in from a minute to an hour or two, depending on the amount of saponin in the beverage and the number of cc. ..."

5. Food Inspection and Analysis: For the Use of Public Analysts, Health by Albert Ernest Leach, Andrew Lincoln Winton (1913)
"If saponin is present the liquid becomes clear in from a minute to an hour or two, depending on the amount of saponin in the beverage and the number of cc. ..."

6. A Textbook of pharmacology and therapeutics, or, the Action of drugs in by Arthur Robertson Cushny (1918)
"saponin, SAPOTOXIN AND SOLANINE. This group comprises a series of glucosides which are very widely distributed in plants and which resemble each other in ..."

7. Hand-book of Chemistry by Leopold Gmelin, Henry Watts (1864)
"When saponin from horse-chestnuts is treated with potash-ley, a compound of potash with a yellow colouring matter contained in the saponin is first formed, ..."

8. Poisons: their effects and detection by Alexander Wynter Blyth (1895)
"One to two drops of a saturated watery solution of saponin applied ... The author has studied the general action of saponin on kittens, insects, ..."

9. A Dictionary of Chemistry and the Allied Branches of Other Sciences by Henry Watts (1869)
"saponin dissolves in water, forming a frothy solution, more easily in dilute than in strong ... A solution of saponin in 4 pts. of water forms with baryta- ..."

10. The Journal of Experimental Medicine by Rockefeller University, Rockefeller Institute, Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research (1906)
"The following tables show that eosin and especially erythrosin act with considerable intensity upon saponin. The saponin was Merck's, the dyes " eosin rein" ..."

11. Elements of Chemistry: Theoretical and Practical by William Allen Miller (1867)
"When dry, saponin forms a colourless friable mass, which is destitute of odour, and of a sweetish, styptic, persistent taste. ..."

12. Food Inspection and Analysis: For the Use of Public Analysts, Health by Albert Ernest Leach, Andrew Lincoln Winton (1913)
"If saponin is present the liquid becomes clear in from a minute to an hour or two, depending on the amount of saponin in the beverage and the number of cc. ..."

13. Food Inspection and Analysis: For the Use of Public Analysts, Health by Albert Ernest Leach, Andrew Lincoln Winton (1913)
"If saponin is present the liquid becomes clear in from a minute to an hour or two, depending on the amount of saponin in the beverage and the number of cc. ..."

14. A Textbook of pharmacology and therapeutics, or, the Action of drugs in by Arthur Robertson Cushny (1918)
"saponin, SAPOTOXIN AND SOLANINE. This group comprises a series of glucosides which are very widely distributed in plants and which resemble each other in ..."

15. Hand-book of Chemistry by Leopold Gmelin, Henry Watts (1864)
"When saponin from horse-chestnuts is treated with potash-ley, a compound of potash with a yellow colouring matter contained in the saponin is first formed, ..."

16. Poisons: their effects and detection by Alexander Wynter Blyth (1895)
"One to two drops of a saturated watery solution of saponin applied ... The author has studied the general action of saponin on kittens, insects, ..."

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