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cysteine

[ sis-tee-een, -in ]
/ ˈsɪs tiˌin, -ɪn /
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noun Biochemistry.
a crystalline amino acid, C3H7O2NS, a component of nearly all proteins, obtained by the reduction of cystine. Abbreviation: Cys; Symbol: C

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Origin of cysteine

First recorded in 1880–85; alteration of cystine

OTHER WORDS FROM cysteine

cys·te·in·ic, adjective

Words nearby cysteine

Cyrus, Cys, cyst, cystathionine, cystectomy, cysteine, cysti-, cystic, cysticercoid, cysticercosis, cysticercus
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use cysteine in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for cysteine

cysteine
/ (ˈsɪstɪˌiːn, -ɪn) /
noun
a sulphur-containing amino acid, present in proteins, that oxidizes on exposure to air to form cystine. Formula: HSCH 2 CH(NH 2)COOH

Derived forms of cysteine

cysteinic, adjective

Word Origin for cysteine

C19: variant of cystine
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 cysteine

cysteine
[ sĭs′tə-ēn′ ]
A nonessential amino acid. Chemical formula: C3H7NO2S. See more at amino acid.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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