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protein

pro·tein

UK/ˈpɹəʊ.ti.ɪn/ US/ˈpɹəʊ.tiːn/ fairly common

noun

1.

any of a large group of nitrogenous organic compounds that are essential constituents of living cells; consist of polymers of amino acids; essential in the diet of animals for growth and for repair of tissues; can be obtained from meat and eggs and milk and legumes

  • “a diet high in protein”

Origin

From proto- + -ein. Suggested by Jöns Jacob Berzelius in a letter to Gerardus Johannes Mulder, from French protéine and German Protein, both coined based on Ancient Greek πρωτεῖος (prōteîos, “primary”), from πρῶτος (prôtos, “first”).

Phrases

  • acute-phase protein
  • animal protein factor
  • Bence Jones protein
  • bone morphogenetic protein
  • carrier protein
  • checkpoint protein
  • cI protein
  • complement protein

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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.