asparagine

[ uh-spar-uh-jeen, -jin ]

noun
  1. a white, crystalline, amino acid, NH2COCH2CH(NH2)COOH, soluble in water, obtained from certain plants, especially legumes, and used chiefly as a nutrient in culture media for certain bacteria. Abbreviation: Asn; Symbol: N

Origin of asparagine

1
From French, dating back to 1805–15; see origin at asparagus, -ine2

Words Nearby asparagine

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use asparagine in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for asparagine

asparagine

/ (əˈspærəˌdʒiːn, -dʒɪn) /


noun
  1. a nonessential amino acid, a component of proteins

Origin of asparagine

1
C19: from French, from Latin asparagus asparagus + -ine ²

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for asparagine

asparagine

[ ə-spărə-jēn′ ]


  1. A nonessential amino acid. Chemical formula: C4H8N2O3. See more at amino acid.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.