Wiktionary
n. (context chemistry English) any of a large class of organic compounds, of plant origin, having more than one phenol group; they tend to be colourful and to have antioxidant properties
Wikipedia
Polyphenols (noun, pronunciation of the singular or , also known as polyhydroxyphenols) are a structural class of mainly natural, but also synthetic or semisynthetic, organic chemicals characterized by the presence of large multiples of phenol structural units. The number and characteristics of these phenol structures underlie the unique physical, chemical, and biological (metabolic, toxic, therapeutic, etc.) properties of particular members of the class. Examples include tannic acid (image at right) and ellagitannin (image below). The historically important chemical class of tannins is a subset of the polyphenols.
The name derives from the Ancient Greek word (polus, meaning "many, much") and the word phenol which refers to a chemical structure formed by attaching to an aromatic benzenoid ( phenyl) ring, an hydroxyl (-OH) group akin to that found in alcohols (hence the -ol suffix). The term polyphenol appears to have been in use since 1894.
Usage examples of "polyphenol".
Much of the research on polyphenols has focused on their ability to act as antioxidants in the human body.
The polyphenols found in tea and red wine act as antioxidants and possibly anti-carcinogens in the body, and they may be beneficial in blocking some of this minute damage at the cellular level.
When black teas are processed, the leaves are oxidized for a number of hours, and it is during this time that most, but not all, of the unoxidized polyphenols are transformed through air exposure.
Green tea contains a family of naturally occurring chemical compounds called polyphenols, which have an antioxidant effect in the body.