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Glite Dictionary
thymoquinone

thymoquinone

1 9.9
A chemical in oil from black cumin seeds that scientists study for use in medicine
  • noun
  • /θaɪmoʊˈkwɪnoʊn/
  • Specialized
: timocuinona
  • Researchers found that thymoquinone extracted from black cumin seeds may help reduce inflammation in the body.

Examples

  • When animal models of pancreatic cancer were treated with thymoquinone, 67 percent of the tumors were significantly shrunken, and the levels of proinflammatory cytokines in the tumors were significantly reduced.

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  • In studies, thymoquinone has shown promise in combating tumor growth in various cancers.

  • The oil derived from black cumin contains thymoquinone, which is believed to have antioxidant properties.

Surface Forms

thymoquinone singular
thymoquinones plural

Morphology

thymoquinone = quinone (opaque) = thymo + quinone + thymo

The combining form 'thymo-' is not a standalone English word and refers to a botanical/chemical source (thyme/thymol), while 'quinone' is a technical chemical term; the name is not transparently guessable for an average B1 learner.

Etymology

The word thymoquinone can be split into thymo- (think 'thyme', the herb, because similar herbs make related oils) and -quinone (a name for a 'kind of chemical'). So thymoquinone is a natural plant 'chemical' found in seed oils, which is why scientists study it for possible medicine.