Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary · 1913
Asparagine
As·par′a·gine, n. [Cf. F. asparagine.] (Chem.) A white, nitrogenous, crystallizable substance, C4H8N2O3+H2O, found in many plants, and first obtained from asparagus. It is believed to aid in the disposition of nitrogenous matter throughout the plant; — called also altheine.