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saccharin

saccharin definition

sac·cha·rin (sak′ə rin′)

noun

☆ a white, crystalline coal-tar compound, CHNOS, about 500 times sweeter than cane sugar, used as a sugar substitute in diabetic diets, as a noncaloric sweetener, etc.

Etymology: so named (1879) by its discoverers, I. Remsen & C. Fahlberg, U.S. chemists < ModL saccharum, sugar < L < Gr sakcharon, ult. < Sans śarkarā, pebble, sugar (> sugar) + -in

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