Meaning
A plant-derived polysaccharide found in cell walls (especially in fruits) that forms a gel under acidic conditions and is commonly used to thicken foods like jam and jellies.
Etymology
Origin: Ancient Greek
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *peh₂ǵ-der. Ancient Greek πήγνῡμι (pḗgnūmi) Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Hellenic *-tós Ancient Greek -τός (-tós) Ancient Greek πηκτός (pēktós) Ancient Greek πηκτικός (pēktikós)der. French acide pectique French pectineder. English pectin From French pectine, coined in the 1830s by Henri Braconnot, from acide pectique "pectic acid", from Ancient Greek πηκτικός (pēktikós, “curdling”), from πηκτός (pēktós, “curdled”), from πήγνυμι (pḗgnumi, “stiffen”).
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms
E440vegetable jelly
NYT Puzzle Appearances
Accepted in 2 recorded puzzles: