dihydroxyphenylalanine

[dahy-hahy-drok-si-fen-l-al-uh-neen, -nin, -feen-l-]

noun

Biochemistry.

1. dopa.

Word History and Origins

Origin of dihydroxyphenylalanine¹

dihydroxy + phenylalanine

Example Sentences

Each of the 15 proteins that make up the mollusks’ holdfasts—thread-like structures that help attach the mussel to a hard substrate-- contains an abundance of an amino acid called dihydroxyphenylalanine, or DOPA.

From Science Magazine