An alternative or older chemical name for the pungent compound in black pepper and related species; now usually called piperine.
Derived from 'chavi-' (relating to betel and pepper plants in Sanskrit botanical terminology) plus the chemical suffix '-cin.' Created during the 19th century when European chemists were isolating and naming active compounds from spice plants used in Asian cuisines.
The 'chai-' root in botanical chemistry refers to betel leaves and pepper from Sanskrit, so 'chavicin' is the scientific community's polyglot attempt to honor both European chemical naming and Asian plant knowledge—though the term got replaced by the simpler 'piperine.'
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