melamine

UK: /ˈmɛləˌmiːn/ US: (mel′ə mēn′, mel′ə mēn′)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

mel•a•mine  (mel′ə mēn′, mel′ə mēn′), n. [Chem.]

1. Chemistry a white, crystalline, slightly water-soluble solid, C₃N₃(NH₂)₃, used chiefly in organic synthesis and in the manufacture of resins, esp. melamine resins.
2. Chemistry any of the melamine resins.

• German Melamin, derivative of Melam distillate of ammonium thiocyanate (arbitrary coinage, but -am representing ammonium); see -ine²
• 1825–35

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

melamine / ˈmɛləˌmiːn/ noun

1. a colourless crystalline compound used in making synthetic resins; 2,4,6-triamino-1,3,5-triazine. Formula: C₃H₆N₆
2. melamine resin or a material made from this resin

Etymology: 19th Century: from German Melamin, from Melam distillate of ammonium thiocyanate, with -am representing ammonia