vitamin

IPA/ˈvɪtəmɪn/
KK[vˈaɪtəmən]IPA/ˈvaɪtəmɪn/

vitamin — noun

  • vitaminsingular
  • vitaminsplural

1. A type of organic compound that your body needs in very small amounts to work pr

1.nounA2
Definition

A type of organic compound that your body needs in very small amounts to work properly and stay healthy, and that you usually get from food because your body cannot make enough of it on its own.

Example

Eri takes a vitamin C tablet every morning to help her immune system.

use as modifier: vitamin + letter + noun

Leafy green vegetables like spinach are full of important vitamins.

Common collocations
  • take vitamins
  • contain vitamins
  • get enough vitamins
  • be rich in vitamins
  • be full of vitamins
  • a good source of vitamins
  • daily vitamin intake
  • vitamin deficiency
Synonyms
  • nutrient

    broader category that includes vitamins, minerals, proteins, and other substances the body needs

  • essential nutrient

    emphasizes that the body cannot live without this substance; used especially in formal or scientific contexts

  • mineral

    also an essential nutrient, but refers specifically to inorganic substances like calcium or iron, not organic compounds

Grammar Patterns

vitamin + [letter]

take / get / contain + vitamins

Usage Note

Often placed before a letter or name to specify a particular vitamin type, such as vitamin A, vitamin B12, or vitamin E. The plural form 'vitamins' is commonly used when referring to food sources or supplements in general.

Common Mistakes

Oranges have much vitamin C.
Oranges have a lot of vitamin C.
With specific vitamins like 'vitamin C', use 'a lot of' instead of 'much' in positive sentences.
This is a vitamin food.
This food is rich in vitamins.
'Vitamin' is a noun, not an adjective; use 'vitamin-rich' or rewrite to describe the food's vitamin content.

Word family

  • vitamin-rich
    adjectiveB1
  • multivitamin
    nounB1
  • vitamin-like
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Vitamin, nutrient, mineral, and supplement all relate to what the body needs from food, but they differ in scope and form. A vitamin is a specific type of organic compound (such as vitamin C or vitamin B12) that the body requires in small amounts. Nutrient is the broadest term — it covers everything from vitamins and minerals to proteins, carbohydrates, and fats that the body uses for growth and energy. A mineral is a subgroup of nutrient that is inorganic, like calcium or iron, whereas vitamins are always organic. Supplement refers to a manufactured product — a pill, powder, or drink — that contains vitamins, minerals, or other nutrients. You take a vitamin C tablet as a supplement, but the oranges you eat provide the vitamin naturally through food.

vitamin ↗nutrient ↗mineral ↗supplement ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • a good source of vitamins
  • rich in vitamins
  • full of vitamins
  • packed with vitamins

Prepositions

  • from (vitamin D from sunlight)
  • in (rich in vitamins)
  • for (good for vitamins/to boost vitamins)

Etymology

LatinEnglish

The Polish biochemist Casimir Funk combined Latin 'vita' (life) with 'amine' (a type of chemical compound) in 1912, writing the word as 'vitamine' because he believed the life-giving substances all contained an amine group. Scientists later removed the final 'e' after discovering that not all vitamins are amines, but the core idea — a substance essential for life — remained in the modern spelling.