Etymology Map
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Vitamin

3 stages from Latin to English.

Today it means any of a group of organic compounds essential in small amounts for health

Where does the word "vitamin" come from? It comes from Latin vita, passing through English before entering English (1920).

1
Stage 1 of 3
vita
Latin · classical
"life"
'life', as in Suetonius's De vita Caesarum, the Lives of the Caesars
2
Stage 2 of 3
vitamine
English · 1912
"vital amine"
the Polish biochemist Casimir Funk, working at the Lister Institute in London, coined it in 1912 from vita + amine, believing these vital nutrients were all amines
3
Stage 3 of 3
vitamin
English · 1920
"essential micronutrient"
when most turned out not to be amines, Jack Drummond proposed in 1920 dropping the final e
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Read the full story

Vitamin’s story begins in Latin: vita meant “life.” 'life', as in Suetonius's De vita Caesarum, the Lives of the Caesars. By 1912, the word had taken hold in English as vitamine. The Polish biochemist Casimir Funk, working at the Lister Institute in London, coined it in 1912 from vita + amine, believing these vital nutrients were all amines. It reached English by 1920 as vitamin. When most turned out not to be amines, Jack Drummond proposed in 1920 dropping the final e. Today, vitamin means any of a group of organic compounds essential in small amounts for health.