A substance that tastes bitter to some persons but is tasteless to others. The ability to taste it is thought to be an autosomal dominant trait. P. contains the N–C=S group upon which the taste peculiarity apparently depends; goitrogenic or antithyroid substances ( e.g., thiourea and thiouracil), which also contain this group, possess the same property with respect to taste. SYN: phenylthiocarbamide.
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phen·yl·thio·urea (fen″əl-thi″o-u-reґə) a compound used in genetics research; the ability to taste it is inherited as a dominant trait, the compound being intensely bitter to approximately 70 per cent of the population, and nearly tasteless to the rest. Called also phenylthiocarbamide (PTC).Medical dictionary. 2011.