albumen en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ælˈbjumənə/ (General-American)
- /ælˈbjumən/ (General-American)
- /ˈælbjʊmən/ (General-American)
- /ælˈbjuːmɪnə/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- (General-American) audio
- /ˈælbjʊmɪn/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- audio -
- /ælˈbjuːmɪn/ (Received-Pronunciation, archaic)
Etymology
Learned borrowing from Late Latin albūmen (“egg white, albumen; type of eye disease”) (whence Late Middle English albuminium (“clear fluid in the eyeball between the cornea and lens, aqueous humour”)), from Latin albus (“white”, adjective) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *albʰós (“white”, adjective)) + -men (suffix forming nouns), modelled after ferrūmen (“cement; glue”). The plural form albumina is a learned borrowing from Late Latin albūmina.
Meanings
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(countable, uncountable) Synonym of egg white (“(uncountable) the clear fluid part of an egg surrounding the yolk, being mostly the protein albumin and water, which turns stiff and white when beaten or cooked; (countable) the white of a particular egg”).
Useful Invalid Foods. Albumen Water.—Cut the white of one fresh egg in numerous directions with scissors, shake it up in a bottle with six ounces of pure cold water and a pinch of salt and strain through muslin. Useful for infants with acute gastro-intestinal trouble, when milk must be withdrawn.
1910 December 23, Eugene L. Fisk, “Home course in health culture. IV.—Nursing in the home.”, in The Bellevue Times, volume I, number 14, Bellevue, Alta.: [J. D. S. Barrett and W. J. Bartlett], →ISSN, →OCLC, page 7, column 2:Beautiful fresh eggs, boiled gently to perfection, are a true gourmet experience. The albumens (whites) will be tender and slightly 'curdy', the yolks still soft and silky.
2021, Darina Allen, “Eggs, Dairy [Soft-boiled Eggs]”, in How to Cook: The 100 Essential Recipes Everyone should Know, London: Kyle Books, Octopus Publishing Group, Hachette UK, →ISBN, page 96:Coordinate term: yolk
[A]gglutinants of all kinds were called into use, as tragacanth, gum arabic, and the albumen of eggs; and these were united with astringents, as rhubarb, cinnamon, and lime-water, with or without an anodyne draught at evening as might be thought prudent.
1822, John Mason Good, “Species IV. Paruria Mellita. Saccharine Urine. Urine Discharged Freely, for the Most Part Profusely; of a Violet Smell and Sweet Taste; with Great Thirst, and General Debility.”, in The Study of Medicine, […], volume IV, London: […] [George Woodfall] for Baldwin, Cradock, and Joy, →OCLC, class V (Genetica. Diseases of the Sexual Function.), order III (Carpotica. Diseases Affecting the Impregnation.), genus III (Paruria. Mismicturition. Morbid Secretion or Discharge of Urine.), page 482:
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(archaic, broadly, uncountable) A colourless, soluble protein found in blood plasma, egg white, etc.; albumin; (countable) chiefly preceded by a descriptive word: one form of such a protein.
In the same manner as there exists an Anaemia, from diminution of the proportion of blood-globules, we ought equally to admit a peculiar pathological state, distinguished by lowering of the number of albumina in the serum.
1853 October 1, J[oseph] D[ésiré] Tholozan, “Art[icle] V.—On the Present State of Knowledge Acquired in Hæmatology, and the Practical Consequences which thence Result. Thesis Maintained by J. D. Tholozan, Accessory Professor at the Imperial School of Military Medicine and Pharmacy. Paris, 1853. […] [Chapter Third. On the Alterations of the Blood Considered in Reference to Humeral Pathology. Phlegmasiæ; Pyrexiæ; Plethora; Anæmia. Article Seventh. On the Blood in Dropsies.]”, in The Edinburgh Medical and Surgical Journal: […], volume LXXX, number 197, Edinburgh: […] Adam and Charles Black; London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans; Dublin: Hodges and Smith, →OCLC, part I (Original Communications), page 408:[T]he diet of the well-to-do classes differs from that of the poorer classes in that the former consume a greater amount of meat, and, in that connexion, of albumen and fat.
1910 December 31, Owen T. Williams, quoting C. Eykman, “The Science Committee of the British Medical Association. Report CXXIII. The Distribution of Appendicitis, with Some Observations on Its Relation to Diet. [Netherlands.]”, in The British Medical Journal, volume II, number 2609, London: British Medical Association, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 2019, column 1:The various elements found in food are the following: Starch, sugar, fats, albumen, mineral substances, indigestible substances.
1892, E[lla] E[aton] Kellogg, “Foods”, in Science in the Kitchen. A Scientific Treatise on Food Substances and Their Dietetic Properties, […], revised edition, Battle Creek, Mich.: Health Publishing Company, →OCLC, page 25:A sound theory about the origin of man has to explain how an antibody specially composed to react on an albumen of a certain species also reacts on similar albumina of closely related animals and that the intensity of the reaction gradually decreases in creatures which differ more and more from these animals.
1983 June 13, Patrick Frank, “[Letter to the newspaper]”, in The Jerusalem Post, Jerusalem, Israel: The Jerusalem Post Group, →ISSN, →OCLC; quoted in Akiva Jaap Vroman, “Charles Darwin and the Ensuing ‘-Ism’”, in On God, Space & Time, New Brunswick, N.J.; London: Transaction Publishers, 1999, →ISBN, page 125:[…] I was lastly induced to make some similar experiments on albumen; and, as that of the blood is mixed with gelatin, and with the substance called fibrin by the chemists, […] and as it is with some difficulty that the albumen can be exactly separated from these substances, I preferred the albumen of eggs as being pure and unmixed; […]
1800 June 12 (date delivered), Charles Hatchett, “Chemical Experiments on Zoophytes; with Some Observations on the Component Parts of Membrane”, in Philosophical Transactions, of the Royal Society of London. For the Year MDCCC, part II, London: […] W[illiam] Bulmer and Co. […]; and sold by Peter Elmsly, printer to the Royal Society, published 1800, →OCLC, page 375:The cheeſe, or caſeous part of milk, is formed into a maſs, and ſeparated from the other parts of the liquid, by the action of fire, by the acid fermentation of vvhich milk is liable, and by the intermixture of acids. This matter, vvhen vvell vvaſhed, is vvhite and ſolid, like the albumen of the blood.
1790, [Antoine-François de] Fourcroy, “Of the Milk”, in [William Nicholson], transl., Elements of Natural History and Chemistry. […], volume III, London: […] C[harles] Elliot and T[homas] Kay, […]; Edinburgh: C[harles] Elliot, →OCLC, 4th part (The Animal Kingdom), page 182:
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(archaic, broadly, uncountable) The endosperm of seeds of most flowering plants, especially when found in mature seeds.
As all Seeds are ex Ovo [from an egg]; ſo there are many vvith thin Covers, as of Orach, Spinage, Beet, and the reſt of that Tribe, &c. vvhich beſides the Albumen or clear Liquor out of vvhich they are bred; […]
1677, Nehemiah Grew, “The Anatomy of Leaves, Flowers, Fruits and Seeds. […] The Fourth Book. Chapter III. Of the Several Covers of Seeds, and of the Vitellum.”, in The Anatomy of Plants. […], [London]: […] W. Rawlins, for the author, published 1682, →OCLC, part IV (The Anatomy of Seeds, […]), page 202:In his [William Griffith's] summary of the novel points of structure, &c., indicated in his paper, he mentions […] 3rd. The confluence of the albumina of several sacks into one albumen.
1845, William Wilson, “Researches in Embryology”, in George Luxford, editor, The Phytologist: A Popular Botanical Miscellany, volume II, London: John Van Voorst, […], →OCLC, page 980:
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(broadly, obsolete, uncountable) Synonym of blood plasma (“the clear fluid portion of blood in which the blood cells are suspended”).
[W]henever the bloud is quiet or ceaſes from motion, vvhether vvithin or vvithout the body of an Animal, the red and grumoſe part of it ſoon curdles, and is ſeparated from the ſeroſe or albumen; […]
1683 March 29 (date delivered; Gregorian calendar), Walter Charleton, “Prælectio I. Of the Circular Motion of the Bloud, and the Admirable Effects thereof.”, in Three Anatomic Lectures, […], London: […] Walter Kettilby, […], published 1683, →OCLC, page 31:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| albumina | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| albumens | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
albuminize · seralbumin · ovalbumin · albumenize · albumenization · albumenoid · albumenise · albumenized · seralbumen · albuminise · albumenised · ovalbumen
Relateds
Synonyms
egg white · white · blood plasma · glair
Translations (19)
la albūmen (synonym of egg white (cognates) — see also egg white) · ro albuș (synonym of egg white (cognates) — see also egg white) · tl albumen (synonym of egg white (cognates) — see also egg white) · tl albumen (endosperm of seeds of most flowering plants (cognates) — see also endosperm) · fr albumen (synonym of egg white (cognates) — see also egg white) · ga albaimín (synonym of egg white (cognates) — see also egg white) · io albumeno (synonym of egg white (cognates) — see also egg white) · de Albumen (synonym of egg white (cognates) — see also egg white) · fr albumen (endosperm of seeds of most flowering plants (cognates) — see also endosperm) · es albumen (synonym of egg white (cognates) — see also egg white) · gl albume (synonym of egg white (cognates) — see also egg white) · ms albumen (synonym of egg white (cognates) — see also egg white) · id albumen (synonym of egg white (cognates) — see also egg white) · ca albumen (synonym of egg white (cognates) — see also egg white) · la albāmentum (synonym of egg white (cognates) — see also egg white) · pt albúmen (synonym of egg white (cognates) — see also egg white) · ro albumen (synonym of egg white (cognates) — see also egg white) · eo albumeno (synonym of egg white (cognates) — see also egg white) · it albume (synonym of egg white (cognates) — see also egg white)