enzyme

American  

[en-zahym] / ˈɛn zaɪm /

noun

Biochemistry.

• enzymes
  plural

1. any of various proteins, as pepsin, originating from living cells and capable of producing certain chemical changes in organic substances by catalytic action, as in digestion.

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enzyme British  

/ ˈɛnzaɪm, -zɪ-, -ˈzɪm- /

noun

1. any of a group of complex proteins or conjugated proteins that are produced by living cells and act as catalysts in specific biochemical reactions

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enzyme Scientific  

/ ĕn′zīm /

1. Any of numerous proteins produced in living cells that accelerate or catalyze the metabolic processes of an organism. Enzymes are usually very selective in the molecules that they act upon, called substrates, often reacting with only a single substrate. The substrate binds to the enzyme at a location called the active site just before the reaction catalyzed by the enzyme takes place. Enzymes can speed up chemical reactions by up to a millionfold, but only function within a narrow temperature and pH range, outside of which they can lose their structure and become denatured. Enzymes are involved in such processes as the breaking down of the large protein, starch, and fat molecules in food into smaller molecules during digestion, the joining together of nucleotides into strands of DNA, and the addition of a phosphate group to ADP to form ATP. The names of enzymes usually end in the suffix –ase.

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enzyme Cultural  

1. A protein molecule that helps other organic molecules (see also organic molecule) enter into chemical reactions with one another but is itself unaffected by these reactions. In other words, enzymes act as catalysts for organic biochemical reactions.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• enzymatic
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• enzymes
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of enzyme

First recorded in 1880–85; from Medieval Greek énzymos “leavened,” from Greek en- en- ² + zȳ́m(ē) “leaven” + -os, adjective suffix

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Explanation

An important element in human chemistry, an enzyme is a protein manufactured by a cell, and is a catalyst in various biological functions. For example, enzymes help break down larger molecules of starch, fat, and protein during digestion. The word enzyme was coined by a German physiologist in the late 1800s to name a digestive process that scientists had been observing. The word was later given to the actual agents discovered to spark the reactions, taken from the Greek énzymos, which meant "leavened." (Leavening makes bread rise.) Remember that the word enzyme is spelled with a y and not an i, which makes sense, since when scientists observe chemical processes, they often ask "why?"

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

enzyme enzymes

The connection between the two research projects became clear after Ma identified DHRS7 as the gene responsible for producing the enzyme involved in 5-oxoETE signaling.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 5, 2026

Without knowing which gene produced the enzyme, scientists could not easily manipulate it in experiments or determine how problems with its activity might contribute to disease.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 5, 2026

Peptide Predictor estimated that the enzyme could produce 2,683 distinct peptides from those 373 proteins.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 4, 2026

The researchers found that cinaciguat activates an enzyme called soluble guanylate cyclase inside LSECs.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 3, 2026

In the same way, if we destroy an enzyme that functions at any point in the cycle, oxidation ceases.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

These enzymes help maintain cellular health by removing damaged DNA building blocks before they can interfere with normal biological processes.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 5, 2026

Members of the order Xylariales are known for producing a variety of specialized chemical compounds and enzymes capable of breaking down complex molecules in plants.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 26, 2026

Participants who consumed blueberries regularly experienced a greater and more consistent reduction in depressive symptoms, along with subtle changes in genes associated with gut microbial enzymes.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 18, 2026

Rather than relying entirely on enzymes released into the environment, the bacteria might be able to break down the material directly at their surfaces.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026

Since mutations are random nucleotide changes, most of them are harmful or lethal, coding into existence nonfunctional enzymes.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

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