dopa

American  

[doh-puh] / ˈdoʊ pə /

noun

Biochemistry.

1. an amino acid, C 9 H 11 NO 4 , formed from tyrosine in the liver during melanin and epinephrine biosynthesis: the L-dopa isomer is converted in the brain to dopamine.

---

dopa British  

/ ˈdəʊpə /

noun

1. See L-dopa

---

Etymology

Origin of dopa

< German Dopa (1917), contraction of 3, 4- Dioxyphenylanin; di- ¹, oxy- ², phenylalanine

Example Sentences

The drug is usually called L-dopa, or simply dopa, short for Levo-dihydroxyphenylalanine.

From Time Magazine Archive

But dopa, an amino acid that comes in three forms including L-dopa, crosses the barrier by a process not yet fully understood.

From Time Magazine Archive

In the small hospital that is part of the Atomic Energy Commission's Brookhaven National Laboratory on Long Island, Dr. George C. Cotzias tried an early, less purified form of dopa and obtained confusing results.

From Time Magazine Archive

Eu dup sink in, our dive; Dak dopa mire; Min dipi bathe.

From The Dakotan Languages, and Their Relations to Other Languages by Williamson, A. W. (Andrew Woods)