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Glite Dictionary
provitamin

provitamin

7.3
A substance the body can change into a vitamin
  • noun
  • /ˌproʊˈvaɪtəmɪn/
  • Specialized
translation icon : provitamina
  • Consuming enough provitamin A through diet can prevent deficiencies linked to immune function.
  • provitamin A

Examples

  • Foods like spinach and sweet potatoes contain provitamin A, helping maintain healthy vision.

  • And let anthropomorphized kiwis puke evil provitamins on Jean-Luc Picard!

    Traceroute (2016)

  • Breeding staple plant foods for higher iron, zinc, and provitamin A carotenoid concentrations could contribute significantly to improving the micronutrient status of people depending on these foods as major components of their diet.

    Academic text (1999)

  • For example, the engineering of provitamin A into rice endosperm, also known as "golden" rice, provides a means of supplementing vitamin A intake in diets otherwise deficient (Ye et al., 2000).

    Academic text (2005)

  • Carrots are rich in provitamin A, which our body converts into vitamin A.

Compounds

provitamin A
  • Specialized
3.9

A substance in plants that the body turns into vitamin A

Surface Forms

provitamin singular
provitamins plural

Morphology

provitamin = vitamin (semi-transparent) = pro + vitamin

The link to 'vitamin' is clear, but the scientific prefix 'pro-' means 'precursor of' here, so learners may not fully infer 'convertible into a vitamin' without prior knowledge of that usage.

Etymology

Provitamin is made of pro- meaning 'before', like in prologue, and vitamin meaning 'life'. So a provitamin is a substance that is 'before' a vitamin—your body can change it into the vitamin.