# alanine

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈæləniːn/ · frequency rank #52,134

## Definitions
1. A nonessential amino acid 2-aminopropanoic acid found in most animal proteins
2. A specific residue, molecule, or isomer of this amino acid

## Etymology
From aldehyde + -anine, in reference to aldehyde, with the infix -an- for ease of pronunciation, when the German chemist Adolph Strecker first synthesized alanine in 1850 by mixing acetaldehyde (then just known as aldehyde) with ammonia, hydrogen cyanide, and hydrochloric acid.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/alanine