How to Use coumarin in a Sentence

coumarin

noun
  • The scent features a molecule that can only be activated in sunlight, allowing for notes of coumarin to come out during the day.
    — Emily Burns, Footwear News, 4 Dec. 2025
  • But Cassia cinnamon also contains a compound called coumarin, which can cause liver damage if it's consumed in large amounts.
    — Sarah Bradley, Health, 11 Dec. 2025
  • Its intoxicating fragrance comes from its high levels of coumarin, a chemical compound that gives the bean its signature scent and flavor.
    — JSTOR Daily, 15 Nov. 2025
  • Tonka beans contain coumarin levels comparable to those found in everyday ingredients such as cinnamon, lavender, and licorice, none of which are banned in the US.
    — JSTOR Daily, 15 Nov. 2025
  • Later, in 1868, British chemist William Henry Perkin synthesized the first sample of artificial coumarin.
    — JSTOR Daily, 15 Nov. 2025
  • The popularity of artificial coumarin helped expand and maintain global demand for the tonka bean’s aromatic profile, even as the synthetic compound outpaced the natural one in commercial use.
    — JSTOR Daily, 15 Nov. 2025
  • Tonka first gained international attention at the beginning of the nineteenth century, when German scientist Alfred Vogel isolated the coumarin compound from the tonka bean.
    — JSTOR Daily, 15 Nov. 2025
  • When scientific studies proved that coumarin caused liver damage in animals, the US Food and Drug Administration moved to ban the tonka bean as a food ingredient in 1954.
    — JSTOR Daily, 15 Nov. 2025
  • For example, cinnamon contains powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds, including cinnamaldehyde, eugenol, cinnamic acid, and coumarin, that may help lower inflammation and protect cells against oxidative stress.
    — Jillian Kubala, Health, 14 Oct. 2025
  • However, as a scientific panel for the European Food Safety Authority argues, coumarin also presents potential health risks to those who consume it regularly, for the compound may accumulate in the liver and cause damage over time.
    — JSTOR Daily, 15 Nov. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'coumarin.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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