Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Relating to a bull; having the character of a bull; bovine; bull-like.
  • Relating to the zodiacal sign Taurus; especially, belonging to the period of time (from about 4500 to 1900 b. c.) during which the sun was in Taurus at the vernal equinox: as, the taurine religions; the taurine myths.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Physiol. Chem.) A chemical compound occurring in small quantity in the juices of muscle, in the lungs, and elsewhere, but especially in the bile, where it is found as a component part of taurocholic acid, from which it can be prepared by decomposition of the acid. It crystallizes in colorless, regular six-sided prisms, and is especially characterized by containing both nitrogen and sulphur, being chemically amido-isethionic acid, C2H7NSO3.
  • adjective (Zoöl.) Of or pertaining to the genus Taurus, or cattle.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun biochemistry An amino-sulfonic acid, NH2CH2CH2SO3H, that has regulatory functions in mammals.
  • adjective Pertaining to a bull; bull-like.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective of or relating to or resembling a bull
  • noun a colorless crystalline substance obtained from the bile of mammals

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin taurinus, from taurus ("bull").

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