Essential organic compounds required in small amounts for normal growth and development. Micronutrients that the body cannot produce in sufficient quantities and must obtain from food or supplements.
Coined in 1912 by Polish biochemist Casimir Funk from Latin 'vita' (life) and 'amine' (containing nitrogen). The 'e' was later dropped when scientists discovered not all vitamins contain nitrogen, but the name stuck.
Vitamins were discovered through deficiency diseases - sailors getting scurvy led to vitamin C, beriberi revealed vitamin B1, and rickets unveiled vitamin D. The alphabet soup naming system (A, B, C, etc.) reflects the historical order of discovery rather than any chemical relationship.
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