What does flavone mean?
Flavone is the name of both a specific organic compound and the class of closely related plant substances built on its distinctive two-ring skeleton, a benzene ring fused to a pyrone ring with a phenyl group attached. As the parent structure of one of the principal subgroups of the flavonoids, flavone underlies naturally occurring compounds such as apigenin and luteolin, which give many herbs, vegetables, and grains their subtle yellow pigmentation. Chemists value flavone as a reference scaffold for synthesis and study, while nutrition researchers investigate dietary flavones for their antioxidant properties and possible health benefits. The word derives from the Latin flavus, meaning yellow, reflecting the colour of the early-characterised members of the family. Though essentially a laboratory and scientific term rather than everyday vocabulary, flavone appears frequently in discussions of phytochemistry, food chemistry, and medicinal research, where precision about which flavonoid subgroup is meant matters.
nounA colourless to pale-yellow crystalline plant compound, 2-phenyl-4H-chromen-4-one, that is the parent structure of the flavones, a class of flavonoids found in many fruits, vegetables, and herbs.
- The parent chemical compound 2-phenyl-4H-chromen-4-one, the structural basis of the flavone subgroup of flavonoids.
- (In loose usage) any member of the flavone subgroup of flavonoids, such as apigenin or luteolin.
"Celery and parsley owe much of their antioxidant reputation to the flavone apigenin."
"Apigenin is one of the most widely studied dietary flavones."
"The extract was fractionated by HPLC and the major flavone identified as luteolin."
Standard plural; commonly used when discussing multiple derivatives or members of the flavone subgroup collectively.
"Citrus peels are rich in polymethoxylated flavones."
The name literally means 'yellow thing' — chemists borrowed the Latin flavus, 'yellow', when naming this family of plant pigments.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of flavone
Flavone was coined in nineteenth-century chemistry from Latin flavus, 'yellow', with the ending -one denoting a ketone-containing compound, since the substance is a pale-yellow crystalline solid. The same Latin root gave rise to related chemical names such as flavin and the broader family name flavonoid. It thus belongs to a small cluster of scientific coinages that preserve the Latin word for yellow in modern nomenclature.
Related word forms
How flavone is actually used
A technical term confined chiefly to chemistry, nutrition science, and botany; rare in general conversation. In scientific writing it may refer either to the parent skeleton or, by extension, to its substituted derivatives collectively.
Easily confused with flavone
A flavin is a riboflavin-derived compound such as FAD involved in biological redox reactions, whereas flavone is a plant-derived chromenone pigment of a different chemical family.
A flavanone is a saturated-ring flavonoid (as in hesperidin from citrus), while flavone has an unsaturated double bond in its central ring.