alloxan

noun

al·lox·an ə-ˈläk-sən

: a crystalline compound C₄H₂N₂O₄ causing diabetes mellitus when injected into experimental animals

Etymology

borrowed from German Alloxan, from all- (in Allantoin allantoin) + ox- (in Oxalsäure oxalic acid) + -an -an entry 3

First Known Use

1839, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of alloxan was in 1839

See more words from the same year

allox-

alloxan

alloxanate

See all Nearby Words

Style

“Alloxan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/alloxan. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.

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alloxan

noun

al·lox·an ə-ˈläk-sən

: a crystalline compound C₄H₂N₂O₄ causing diabetes mellitus when injected into experimental animals

also : one of its similarly acting derivatives

called also mesoxalylurea