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Origin and history of thymine

thymine(n.)

nitrogenous base, 1894, from German (Kossel and Neumann, 1893), from thymic acid, from which it was isolated, the acid so called because obtained from the thymus gland. With chemical suffix -ine (2).

also from 1894

Entries linking to thymine

thymus(n.)

ductless gland near the base of the neck, 1690s, Modern Latin, from Greek thymos "a warty excrescence," used of the gland by Galen, literally "thyme," probably so called because of a fancied resemblance to a bud of thyme (see thyme). Related: Thymic.

-ine(2)

word-forming element in chemistry, often interchangeable with -in (2), though modern use distinguishes them; early 19c., from French -ine, the suffix commonly used to form words for derived substances, hence its extended use in chemistry. It was applied unsystematically at first (as in aniline), but now has more restricted use.

The French suffix is from Latin -ina, fem. form of -inus, suffix used to form adjectives from nouns, and thus is identical with -ine (1).

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