dopa

[ doh-puh ]

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

/ ˈdəʊpə /

noun

1. See L-dopa

Word History and Origins

Origin of dopa¹

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