n. The tertiary amine (CH3)3N; a colourless gas with a fishy smell that is a product of animal and vegetable decomposition.
the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English
n. A colorless volatile alkaline liquid, N.(CH3)3, obtained from herring brine, beet roots, etc., with a characteristic herringlike odor. It is regarded as a substituted ammonia containing three methyl groups.
The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
n. A substituted ammonia in which the three hydrogen atoms are replaced by methyl, N(CH3)3.
Word Usage
"It consists in submitting to the action of heat the hydrochlorate of trimethylamine, which is obtained as a by-product in the manufacture of potash of beets."