pectin

UK: /ˈpɛktɪn/ US: /ˈpɛktɪn/ ,(pek′tin)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

pec•tin /ˈpɛktɪn/   n. [uncountable]

1. Biochemistry a white substance present in ripe fruits, used to thicken fruit jellies.

pec•tic/ˈpɛktɪk/  pec•tin•ous, adj. 

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

pec•tin  (pek′tin), n. [Biochem.]

1. Biochemistry a white, amorphous, colloidal carbohydrate of high molecular weight occurring in ripe fruits, esp. in apples, currants, etc., and used in fruit jellies, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics for its thickening and emulsifying properties and its ability to solidify to a gel.

• Greek pēkt(ós) fixed, congealed (see pectic) + -in²
• 1830–40;

pec•ti•na•ceous  (pek′tə nā′shəs), pec′tin•ous, adj. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

pectin / ˈpɛktɪn/ noun

1. any of the acidic hemicelluloses that occur in ripe fruit and vegetables: used in the manufacture of jams because of their ability to solidify to a gel when heated in a sugar solution (may be referred to on food labels as E440(a))

Etymology: 19th Century: from Greek pēktos congealed, from pēgnuein to set

ˈpectic, ˌpectiˈnaceous, ˈpectinous adjective