What does cobalamin mean?
Cobalamin is the chemical name for vitamin B12, an essential water-soluble nutrient that plays a central role in the body's formation of red blood cells, the maintenance of the nervous system, and the synthesis of DNA. Its name reflects its distinctive structure: cobalamin is the only known vitamin that contains a metal ion, cobalt, embedded within its molecular framework. Because cobalamin occurs naturally almost exclusively in animal-derived foods such as meat, fish, eggs, and dairy, people following vegan diets often require fortified foods or supplements to maintain adequate levels. Deficiency can cause megaloblastic anemia, fatigue, and neurological impairment, so serum cobalamin measurements are a routine part of clinical blood work. The word belongs primarily to medical and scientific registers; lay speakers typically say "vitamin B12" instead, but cobalamin remains indispensable vocabulary for anyone reading nutrition labels or lab reports closely.
nounCobalamin is vitamin B12, an essential water-soluble nutrient involved in red blood cell formation, neurological function, and DNA synthesis.
- (Biochemistry) Vitamin B12, a water-soluble vitamin containing a cobalt atom, essential for red blood cell formation, neurological function, and DNA synthesis.
"A deficiency of cobalamin can lead to pernicious anemia and nerve damage."
"Vegans are often advised to take a cobalamin supplement since the vitamin occurs almost exclusively in animal products."
"The laboratory report showed abnormally low serum cobalamin, prompting further tests for pernicious anemia."
The plural is rare but legitimate in scientific writing, referring collectively to the various structural forms of vitamin B12, such as methylcobalamin, adenosylcobalamin, hydroxocobalamin, and cyanocobalamin.
"The different cobalamins serve as coenzymes in distinct metabolic reactions."
The name 'cobalamin' literally encodes its chemistry: it's the only known vitamin that contains a metal atom — cobalt — right in its molecular heart.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cobalamin
The word cobalamin was coined in the twentieth century from cobalt, the metal at the center of the vitamin's structure, combined with -amin, a suffix derived from amine that was common in the naming of vitamins (as in thiamine). It entered English when the compound later called vitamin B12 was isolated and characterized in the late 1940s. The root ultimately traces back through German Kobalt to kobold, the name of a mischievous goblin in German folklore, a nod miners gave to ores that yielded troublesome rather than valuable metals.
How cobalamin is actually used
Cobalamin is a technical term used chiefly in medicine, biochemistry, and nutrition science; in everyday speech most people simply say "vitamin B12." It appears frequently in clinical contexts such as blood test results and supplement labeling.
Easily confused with cobalamin
Cobalt is the metallic chemical element at the core of the cobalamin molecule, whereas cobalamin refers specifically to the whole vitamin B12 compound.