the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English
n. A white, bitter, crystallizable substance, found in coffee and tea. It is identical with the alkaloid theine from tea leaves, and with guaranine from guarana. It is responsible for most of the stimulating effect of coffee or tea.
The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
n. An alkaloid, C8H10N4O2, crystallizing in slender, silk-like needles which have a bitter taste, found in coffee-beans.
WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
n. a bitter alkaloid found in coffee and tea that is responsible for their stimulating effects
Word Usage
"Certain trees growing wild in the Comoro Islands and Madagascar are known as caffein-free coffee trees."