opsin

American  

[op-sin] / ˈɒp sɪn /

noun

Biochemistry.

1. any of several compounds that form the protein component of the light-sensitive retina pigment, rhodopsin.

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opsin British  

/ ˈɒpsɪn /

noun

1. the protein that together with retinene makes up the purple visual pigment rhodopsin

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Etymology

Origin of opsin

First recorded in 1950–55; probably back formation from rhodopsin

Example Sentences

A research team led by Professors Mitsumasa Koyanagi and Akihisa Terakita at OMU's Graduate School of Science identified a specific opsin in dragonflies that responds to light at around 720 nm.

From Science Daily • Apr. 9, 2026

In 2018, researchers found that hogfish skin expressed a gene for an opsin protein, which is the same kind of protein that senses color in the retinas of eyes.

From Science Magazine • Aug. 22, 2023

In a 2018 study, Schweikert's team found hogfish possess an opsin specifically sensitive to blue light in their skin, she said.

From Salon • Aug. 22, 2023

Each of those has a photosensitive opsin, which is the molecule that changes shape when light is received, and which determines the cell’s sensitivity to wavelength.

From Scientific American • Nov. 1, 2022

A very interesting Greek inscription that reads the same either backwards or forwards is found in many English and foreign churches—"Nipson anonemata me monan opsin."

From Proverb Lore Many sayings, wise or otherwise, on many subjects, gleaned from many sources by Hulme, F. Edward (Frederick Edward)